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National price data · 1,686 hospitals

Psychotherapy session (45 minutes) cost

What a psychotherapy session (45 minutes) costs across the U.S. — and the fair price to aim for.

Pillar 1 · The BaseRate™ CompositeHow 1.00× Fair BaseRate Works: Raw price averages unfairly penalize hospitals in high-wage cities or trauma centers treating sicker patients. We adjust for local CMS hospital wage levels and patient complexity first. A 1.00× score means right at the fair price average, 0.85× means 15% cheaper than fair market, and 1.30× means 30% above fair market.Near Fair BaseRate Benchmark
1.00×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair PriceRight at U.S. Average (0%) 1.00× (center of the bar) is the U.S. fair price average after accounting for local hospital wages and patient complexity. Left of center (<1.00×) is below fair price; right of center (>1.00×) is above fair price.

Typical commercial prices here match the fair market benchmark (1.00×) after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.

Pillar 2 · VeriRate™ Data TrustHow VeriRate™ (0–100) Works: Hospitals are legally required to publish machine-readable price files, but some bury fake $0.01 numbers or omit cash discounts. VeriRate audits each file across 5 checks (hover any badge below to see what it tests).86/100 · Verified
86/100Hover Any Check Below to See How Prices Were Audited
File Completeness90Provenance (File Completeness): Checks whether the hospital published a complete, up-to-date machine-readable price file with valid CPT and MS-DRG billing codes instead of leaving blanks.
Price Logic88Coherence (Price Logic): Checks whether the hospital’s numbers make basic sense — e.g., self-pay cash price is lower than gross list price, with no fake $0.01 or $999,999 placeholder numbers.
Peer Alignment86Concordance (Peer Alignment): Checks whether reported prices sit in a realistic range compared to Medicare and nearby hospitals rather than wild 100× unit errors.
Clean Billing83Regularity (Clean Billing): Checks whether rates are structured consistently across procedures without erratic statistical spikes or hidden unbundled facility fees.
Real Cash Discount84Cash Honesty (Real Cash Discount): Checks whether the hospital offers a genuine self-pay cash discount that beats or matches commercial insurance rates instead of billing full sticker price.
Pillar 3 · Clinical Quality & ER SpeedChecks whether higher hospital prices actually buy better clinical quality — combining CMS Star Ratings, hospital safety scores, and emergency room wait times.Regional Value Leader
CMS Star RatingNot RatedOfficial CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating (1 to 5 stars) summarizing mortality, safety of care, readmissions, and patient experience.
Safety ScoreNot ScoredComposite patient safety score (0–100) derived from CMS hospital-acquired infection rates (CLABSI, CAUTI, MRSA, C. diff), surgical complications, and HCAHPS surveys.
Typical ER WaitNo ER DataMedian minutes patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, as reported to CMS Timely and Effective Care.

Balances commercial hospital prices against CMS clinical safety, infection control, and patient experience.

Behavioral Pricing FingerprintMedian-Gamed · High Captive Markup

Loss-Leader / Captive Ancillary Cross-Subsidizer

Powers Health Rehabilitation Center prices routine shoppable procedures near 1.3× Medicare (p50 1.39×) while skewing captive emergency, lab, and upper-quartile codes to 1.9× Medicare (p75 1.85×, +33% upper-tail jump). Patients scheduling elective outpatient care can capture competitive rates, but emergency and ancillary bills require strict line-item auditing.

#72 of 107 in IN · 66th State Percentile#2,549 of 3,385 in U.S. · 75th National Percentile
Advantage

Where They're Good (Patient & Payer Edge)

  • Bottom-quartile procedures (Q25) price at 0.88× the peer BaseRate benchmark
  • Self-pay cash beats commercial insurance on 52% of shoppable procedures (99/100 Cash Honesty)
  • CMS clinical safety score (54/100 safety score) with 72% patient recommendation
  • IRS 501(c)(3) charity care provides free care up to 200% FPL and discounted care up to 400% FPL (39.5% AGB cap)
Watchout

Where You Can Get Burned (Markup Traps)

  • Even at low-cost facilities (1.00× Fair BaseRate), out-of-network or unnegotiated chargemaster bills can exceed commercial medians — confirm in-network status or request a self-pay cash quote up front.
  • Captive ER (1.9×) & laboratory (2.2×) services average 1.46× higher multiples than routine shoppable care (1.3×)
  • Upper-quartile procedures (Q75 1.85×) jump +33% above the median procedure ratio (Q50 1.39×)
  • Unnegotiated chargemaster list prices average 10.7× Medicare (17¢ true HCRIS cost per $1 gross)
Front-Door ShoppableElective / Imaging
1.3× Medicare

Pre-scheduled outpatient procedures where patients can comparison-shop.

Back-Door Captive & ER1.46× Divergence
1.9× Medicare

Emergency, inpatient DRG, lab, and specialty drug lines billed after admission.

Quantile Tail Spread+33% Upper Tail
Q25 0.88× · Q50 1.39× · Q75 1.85×

Detects median-gaming when upper-quartile codes spike above the p50 median.

Select any lens to inspect department markups, federal cost accounting, or insurer discounts.
Department & Integrity Multiples (vs. CMS Medicare Cost Anchor) Green ≤1.3× · Teal 1.3–1.8× · Amber 1.8–2.5× · Rose >2.5×
Front-Door Shoppable CareFront-Door Shoppable
1.3× MedicareGood
Outpatient Surgery & ORBack-Door Captive
0.6× MedicareGood
Diagnostic Imaging (CT/MRI)Front-Door Shoppable
1.7× MedicareGood
Back-Door Captive ER VisitsBack-Door Captive
1.9× MedicareGood
Inpatient Lab & PathologyBack-Door Captive
2.2× MedicareFair
Specialty & Infusion Drugs (J-Codes)Back-Door Captive
1.2× MedicareGood
Self-Pay Cash Honesty & 501(r)Integrity & Outcomes
52% Cash Edge · 99/100Good
CMS Clinical Safety & Star ValueIntegrity & Outcomes
3 CMS · 54/100Elevated
National Geographic Price Intelligence · 50-State + DC/PR Cartogram

National State Price Index Heatmap · Psychotherapy session (45 minutes)

State commercial price index vs. U.S. median (1.00×) and average Medicare multiple across all 53 priced states & territories

<0.93× Below Fair Price 0.93–1.05× Near Average 1.05–1.18× Elevated >1.18× High-Cost State
WV0.61×0.9× MedVT0.64×0.9× MedMI0.67×1.0× MedUT0.67×1.0× MedIN0.75×1.1× MedNH0.77×1.1× MedPR0.77×1.1× MedID0.80×1.2× MedWY0.81×1.2× MedAR0.83×1.2× MedCT0.84×1.2× MedKS0.84×1.2× MedMT0.86×1.2× MedSD0.86×1.2× MedIA0.89×1.3× MedWI0.94×1.4× MedAL0.95×1.4× MedHI0.95×1.4× MedKY0.95×1.4× MedLA0.95×1.4× MedME0.95×1.4× MedNC0.95×1.4× MedMN0.96×1.4× MedCO0.97×1.4× MedPA0.97×1.4× MedFL0.99×1.4× MedMD0.99×1.4× MedMS0.99×1.4× MedND0.99×1.4× MedNE0.99×1.4× MedTN0.99×1.4× MedOH1.03×1.5× MedOK1.06×1.5× MedMO1.09×1.6× MedNJ1.10×1.6× MedVA1.10×1.6× MedAK1.13×1.6× MedGA1.13×1.7× MedTX1.13×1.6× MedIL1.14×1.7× MedNV1.16×1.7× MedNY1.18×1.7× MedMA1.19×1.7× MedNM1.22×1.8× MedDE1.23×1.8× MedOR1.26×1.8× MedRI1.31×1.9× MedDC1.33×1.9× MedWA1.33×1.9× MedCA1.34×2.0× MedAZ1.62×2.4× MedSC1.93×2.8× Med
5 Lowest-Price States (Confounder-Isolated Value Leaders)
WV0.61×(0.9×)VT0.64×(0.9×)MI0.67×(1.0×)UT0.67×(1.0×)IN0.75×(1.1×)
5 Highest-Markup States (Strict Bill Audit Recommended)
SC1.93×(2.8×)AZ1.62×(2.4×)CA1.34×(2.0×)WA1.33×(1.9×)DC1.33×(1.9×)
The BaseRate high confidence
$167
the fair national price for a psychotherapy session (45 minutes)
typically $95–$299 across 1,686 hospitals · how we calculate it
modeled estimate · not a bill or quote
1,686
hospitals priced
52
states
3.1×
price spread — where shopping matters
1.5×
vs. Medicare

Across 1,686 hospitals in 52 states, a psychotherapy session (45 minutes) has a fair BaseRate of $167 and typically costs $95–$299. The cheapest state is WV; the priciest is SC.

Cheapest hospitals for a psychotherapy session (45 minutes)

Psychotherapy session (45 minutes) cost by state

AK $187 5 hospitals AL $157 20 hospitals AR $138 16 hospitals AZ $269 21 hospitals CA $223 92 hospitals CO $161 43 hospitals CT $139 15 hospitals DC $220 3 hospitals DE $204 4 hospitals FL $165 101 hospitals GA $188 39 hospitals HI $157 11 hospitals IA $148 59 hospitals ID $132 10 hospitals IL $190 63 hospitals IN $124 55 hospitals KS $140 46 hospitals KY $158 26 hospitals LA $157 42 hospitals MA $198 29 hospitals MD $165 3 hospitals ME $157 17 hospitals MI $111 68 hospitals MN $160 52 hospitals MO $181 38 hospitals MS $164 31 hospitals MT $142 9 hospitals NC $157 36 hospitals ND $165 9 hospitals NE $164 33 hospitals NH $128 5 hospitals NJ $182 47 hospitals NM $203 5 hospitals NV $193 13 hospitals NY $196 79 hospitals OH $171 63 hospitals OK $176 37 hospitals OR $209 24 hospitals PA $161 53 hospitals RI $217 3 hospitals SC $320 30 hospitals SD $142 8 hospitals TN $164 39 hospitals TX $187 128 hospitals UT $112 30 hospitals VA $182 24 hospitals VT $107 6 hospitals WA $220 33 hospitals WI $156 48 hospitals WV $102 11 hospitals WY $134 3 hospitals
Inline Bill X-Ray & 501(r) Calculator 501(c)(3) Nonprofit · Free Care ≤200% FPL · AGB Cap 36.3%

Audit a Bill or Quote at U.S. Hospital Benchmark (Zero PHI Required)

Fair BaseRate™ $167
Medicare Rate $97
Self-Pay Cash Request Quote
Insurer Median $166
Pre-filled with U.S. Hospital Benchmark’s charged/list benchmark
Screened against 2026 HHS Federal Poverty Guidelines
2026 FPL: $15,650 + $5,500 per additional person
Step 1 · 501(r) Charity Care Check 501(r) AGB Cap: $144 (274% FPL)

Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $144

At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (36.3% of gross = $144).

Step 2 · Cash vs. Insurance Arbitrage Request Prompt-Pay Quote

Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible

Ask U.S. Hospital Benchmark's billing desk for their written 45 CFR § 180 discounted self-pay cash price and Good Faith Estimate under the No Surprises Act.

Step 3 · Fair BaseRate Target +$231 Above Fair BaseRate

Negotiate Toward $167 Fair BaseRate ($97 Medicare)

Your bill ($398) is $231 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($167) and 4.1× the $97 Medicare rate.

1-Click Factual Dispute Summary: Copy a citation-backed benchmark memo (with CMS CCN, CPT code, Medicare reference, Fair BaseRate, and 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) calculations) to paste into patient-portal messages or billing appeals.