CMS Price Transparency Data

Psychotherapy session (45 minutes)

Facility: Mercy Hospital of Buffalo

Billing Code: 90834 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$110

about 0.6× the $181 Medicare rate · typically $92–$141

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$102

About the fair price

about $8 under the fair price · 0.6× Medicare

Medicare pays $181 Fair price $110 This hospital $102 Cash price $287 Hospital's list price $287

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NY hospitals

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

Cheapest $68 Priciest $102

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

A fair price for a Psychotherapy session (45 minutes) is about $110 (about 0.6× the $181 Medicare rate). Mercy Hospital of Buffalo charges insurers about $102, or about $287 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	$62 - $102	34%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$36 - $104	20%
Aetnamajor	$94 - $101	52%
Cignamajor	$89 - $147	49%
Humanamajor	$94 - $101	52%
Amerigroup	$71 - $87	39%
Fidelis Care	$91 - $122	50%
Independent Health	$71 - $116	39%
MagnaCare	$101	56%
Molina	$160 - $197	88%
MVP Health Care	$73 - $115	40%
UPMC Health Plan	$74 - $160	41%
WellCare	$94 - $112	52%
+ 16 smaller / regional plans	$71 - $150

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 287), 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: 90834.

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 90834.
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: Psychotherapy session (45 minutes) at other NY hospitals

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