CMS Price Transparency Data

Bunion correction surgery

Facility: Mercy Hospital of Buffalo

Billing Code: 28296 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$696

about 0.2× the $3,343 Medicare rate · typically $403–$1,188

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$730

About the fair price

about $34 over the fair price · 0.2× Medicare

Medicare pays $3,343 Fair price $696 This hospital $730 Cash price $1,652 Hospital's list price $1,652

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NY hospitals

On the higher side — 6 of 8 other NY hospitals charge less.

Cheapest $536 Priciest $784

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

A fair price for a Bunion correction surgery is about $696 (about 0.2× the $3,343 Medicare rate). Mercy Hospital of Buffalo charges insurers about $730, or about $1,652 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Buffalo, NY.

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	$349 - $997	10%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$288 - $1,287	9%
Aetnamajor	$524 - $846	16%
Cignamajor	$499 - $1,227	15%
Humanamajor	$524 - $846	16%
Amerigroup	$288 - $801	9%
Fidelis Care	$524 - $1,015	16%
Independent Health	$288 - $1,109	9%
MagnaCare	$846	25%
Molina	$648 - $1,802	19%
MVP Health Care	$641 - $1,127	19%
UPMC Health Plan	$792 - $898	24%
WellCare	$524 - $931	16%
+ 16 smaller / regional plans	$288 - $1,574

Government programs also on file: Medicare, Medicaid, Military & VA.

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 1,652), 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: 28296.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Mercy Hospital of Buffalo is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 28296.
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 Mercy Hospital of Buffalo

Compare: Bunion correction surgery at other NY hospitals

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