CMS Price Transparency Data

X-ray, neck (cervical spine)

Facility: Valley Regional Medical Center

Billing Code: 72040 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$103

about 1.2× the $89 Medicare rate · typically $90–$218

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$217

Well above the fair price

about $114 over the fair price · 2.4× Medicare

Medicare pays $89 Fair price $103 This hospital $217 Cash price $2,627 Hospital's list price $2,627

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other TX hospitals

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

Cheapest $23 Priciest $217

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

⚠ The cash price looks unusually high next to the insurance price — it may be the full list price, not a real cash discount. Call to confirm the self-pay rate.

A fair price for a X-ray, neck (cervical spine) is about $103 (about 1.2× the $89 Medicare rate). Valley Regional Medical Center charges insurers about $217, or about $2,627 in cash — well above the fair price. Located in Brownsville, TX.

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 $103. 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.

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	$41 - $1,182	46%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$172 - $1,182	193%
Aetnamajor	$43 - $309	48%
Cignamajor	$446 - $596	502%
Humanamajor	$217	244%
Health Net	$39	44%
Healthcare Highways	$670	754%
Molina	$44	49%
+ 11 smaller / regional plans	$40 - $2,101

Government programs also on file: Medicaid.

Excludes 5 rental-network / third-party entries (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 2,627), 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: 72040.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Valley Regional Medical Center is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 72040.
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 Valley Regional Medical Center

Compare: X-ray, neck (cervical spine) at other TX hospitals

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