CMS Price Transparency Data

Inguinal hernia repair

Facility: Duke University Hospital

Billing Code: 49505 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$2,262

about 0.6× the $3,658 Medicare rate · typically $703–$5,435

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$720

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $1,542 under the fair price · 0.2× Medicare

Medicare pays $3,658 Fair price $2,262 This hospital $720 Cash price $2,296 Hospital's list price $8,502

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NC hospitals

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

Cheapest $375 Priciest $720

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

⚠ The cash price looks unusually high next to the insurance price — it may be the full list price, not a real cash discount. Call to confirm the self-pay rate.

A fair price for a Inguinal hernia repair is about $2,262 (about 0.6× the $3,658 Medicare rate). Duke University Hospital charges insurers about $720, or about $2,296 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Durham, NC.

What each insurance company pays

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

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

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna✓ Humana Kaiser 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	$706 - $7,346	19%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$706 - $4,294	19%
Aetnamajor	$681 - $4,702	19%
Cignamajor	$3,137 - $8,502	86%
Humanamajor	$723 - $7,227	20%
AmeriHealth	$1,922 - $2,136	53%
Sentara	$5,297	145%
+ 7 smaller / regional plans	$1,922 - $3,506

Excludes 1 rental-network / third-party entry (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 (about 2,296), 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 CPT code on your bill matches exactly: 49505.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Duke University Hospital is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 49505.
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 Duke University Hospital

Compare: Inguinal hernia repair at other NC hospitals

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