CMS Price Transparency Data

Ultrasound, thyroid and neck

Facility: Mercy Hospital of Buffalo

Billing Code: 76536 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$87

about 0.8× the $107 Medicare rate · typically $67–$87

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$85

About the fair price

about $2 under the fair price · 0.8× Medicare

Medicare pays $107 Fair price $87 This hospital $85 Cash price $108 Hospital's list price $231

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 $27 Priciest $85

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

A fair price for a Ultrasound, thyroid and neck is about $87 (about 0.8× the $107 Medicare rate). Mercy Hospital of Buffalo charges insurers about $85, or about $108 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	$18 - $108	17%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$20 - $162	19%
Aetnamajor	$26 - $110	24%
Cignamajor	$26 - $153	24%
Humanamajor	$26 - $110	24%
Amerigroup	$24 - $162	22%
Fidelis Care	$23 - $126	22%
Independent Health	$24 - $265	22%
MagnaCare	$26 - $105	24%
Molina	$41 - $231	38%
MVP Health Care	$35 - $140	33%
UPMC Health Plan	$35 - $189	33%
WellCare	$27 - $116	25%
+ 16 smaller / regional plans	$11 - $265

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 108), 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: 76536.

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 76536.
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: Ultrasound, thyroid and neck at other NY hospitals

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