CMS Price Transparency Data

Heart stent placement (inpatient stay)

Facility: Merit Health Natchez

Billing Code: 322 (MS-DRG)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$16,549

about 1.3× the $12,807 Medicare rate · typically $14,273–$18,578

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$16,833

About the fair price

about $284 over the fair price · 1.3× Medicare

Medicare pays $12,807 Fair price $16,549 This hospital $16,833

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other MS hospitals

Highest price of the 9 MS hospitals we have prices for — worth calling around.

Cheapest $13,014 Priciest $16,833

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 MS hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

A fair price for a Heart stent placement (inpatient stay) is about $16,549 (about 1.3× the $12,807 Medicare rate). Merit Health Natchez charges insurers about $16,833 — about the fair price. Located in Natchez, MS.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

4 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna HumanaKaiser Permanente

Crossed out = this hospital hasn’t published a negotiated price for that insurer for this procedure. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t accepted — ask your insurer.

Insurance company	Price range	vs. Medicare
UnitedHealthcaremajor	$15,031 - $21,013	117%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$18,801	147%
Aetnamajor	$8,242 - $15,481	64%
Cignamajor	$1,400	11%
Devoted Health	$15,331	120%
Molina	$15,331 - $19,649	120%
WellCare	$15,609	122%
+ 14 smaller / regional plans	$3,101 - $32,901

Government programs also on file: Medicare.

Excludes 2 rental-network / third-party entries (e.g. Multiplan, PHCS) — these are pricing networks, not insurers.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Tell the billing desk you want to be billed as self-pay — not through insurance — before your visit.
Ask for the cash / prompt-pay discount in writing, with the exact price, before you agree to anything.
Get it in writing that they won’t also bill your insurance, so the cash price is what you owe.
Check the MS-DRG code on your bill matches exactly: 322.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Merit Health Natchez is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for MS-DRG code 322.
Confirm the doctor or provider is in-network too — not just the hospital building.
Check your Explanation of Benefits against the hospital’s final itemized bill.

Estimate your out-of-pocket cost

A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.

How you’d pay

Deductible left to meet ($)

Your coinsurance (%)

Enter your details and press estimate to compare.

Other Procedures at Merit Health Natchez

Compare: Heart stent placement (inpatient stay) at other MS hospitals

King's Daughters Medical Center-Brookhaven · Brookhaven $13,014
Singing River Gulfport · Gulfport $13,091
Singing River Health System · Pascagoula $13,277
Merit Health River Region · Vicksburg $13,707
Baptist Medical Center-Yazoo · Yazoo City $14,112
Bmh-Calhoun · Calhoun City $14,112
Baptist Medical Center Attala · Kosciusko $14,112
Anderson Regional Medical Center South Campus · Meridian $15,037

Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.