CMS Price Transparency Data

Blood transfusion

Facility: Bethesda North

Billing Code: 36430 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$733

about 1.6× the $451 Medicare rate · typically $508–$1,288

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$886

Above the fair price

about $153 over the fair price · 2.0× Medicare

Medicare pays $451 Fair price $733 This hospital $886 Cash price $688 Hospital's list price $917

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other OH hospitals

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

Cheapest $90 Priciest $886

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

A fair price for a Blood transfusion is about $733 (about 1.6× the $451 Medicare rate). Bethesda North charges insurers about $886, or about $688 in cash — above the fair price. Located in Cincinnati, OH.

This price is above the fair BaseRate — you may be able to pay less

Ask the hospital for the cash / self-pay price, check whether you qualify for financial assistance, or negotiate the bill down toward the fair price of about $733. Many patients pay well below the first number they’re quoted — the checklists below walk you through it.

What each insurance company pays

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

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

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna CignaHumanaKaiser 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	$842	187%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$537 - $1,264	119%
Aetnamajor	$121 - $4,765	27%
Medical Mutual	$439	97%
Oscar Health	$645	143%
+ 3 smaller / regional plans	$443 - $1,238

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 688), 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: 36430.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Bethesda North is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 36430.
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 Bethesda North

Compare: Blood transfusion at other OH hospitals

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