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CMS Price Transparency Data Hospital file updated: dba Rice Medical Center

MRI, knee or other leg joint

Facility: Rice Medical Center

Billing Code: 73721 (CPT)

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.Above Fair Market · Negotiate
$649Fair BaseRate (1.36× Market)
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+36% Above Fair Price 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.

This hospital's typical commercial price is $883 compared to the $649 fair price benchmark.

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.High-Markup · Check Safety
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.

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence
A fair price for this
$649
about 2.7× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $245–$1,360
modeled estimate · not a bill or quote
What this hospital charges insurers
$883
Above the fair price
about $234 over the fair price · 3.6× Medicare
Medicare pays $244 Fair price $649 This hospital $883 Cash price $2,632 Hospital's list price $3,760

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 $64 Priciest $883

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

A fair price for a MRI, knee or other leg joint is about $649 (about 2.7× the $244 Medicare rate). Rice Medical Center charges insurers about $883, or about $2,632 in cash — above the fair price. Located in Eagle Lake, 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 $649. 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

UnitedHealthcareBlue Cross Blue ShieldAetnaCignaHumana 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 $1,072 440%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor $837 - $2,256 343%
Aetnamajor $2,030 - $2,707 833%
Cignamajor $2,011 825%
Humanamajor $2,030 833%
+ 8 smaller / regional plans $2,707 - $3,760
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

Insurance Before you use insurance

Estimate your out-of-pocket cost

A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.

Enter your details and press estimate to compare.

Facility Profile & Credentials

  • Address: 600 South Austin Road, Eagle Lake, TX 77434
  • CMS Rating: No CMS Rating
  • Ownership Type: Proprietary
  • Hospital Type: Critical Access Hospitals

Other Procedures at Rice Medical Center

Compare: MRI, knee or other leg joint at other TX hospitals

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

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 Rice Medical Center (Zero PHI Required)

CMS CCN: 451312
CPT 73721
Fair BaseRate™ $649
Medicare Rate $244
Self-Pay Cash $2,632
Insurer Median $883
Pre-filled with Rice Medical Center’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: $1,365 (274% FPL)

Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $1,365

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 = $1,365).

Step 2 · Cash vs. Insurance Arbitrage Save $1,128 Paying Cash

Self-Pay Cash Rate ($2,632) Beats Your Bill

Rice Medical Center's published 45 CFR § 180 self-pay cash rate is $2,632 (vs. $883 commercial insurer median). Ask billing to reclassify the visit to prompt-pay self-pay if it beats your deductible.

Step 3 · Fair BaseRate Target +$3,111 Above Fair BaseRate

Negotiate Toward $649 Fair BaseRate ($244 Medicare)

Your bill ($3,760) is $3,111 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($649) and 15.4× the $244 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.
Care-Setting Arbitrage, Bilateral SVD Insurer Leverage & Regional Alternatives

How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings

45 CFR § 180 Primary-Source Lineage & Federal Verification Verified CMS CCN 451312

Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings

MRF Portal Indexed (CMS_45_CFR_180_FILING.json) Verify on CMS Medicare.gov (CCN 451312) ↗ CMS HCRIS Cost Reports ↗
Published MRF FileCMS_45_CFR_180_FILING.json
Publication / Vintagedba Rice Medical Center
Validated Rate RowsIndexed (CMS v2026-02-19)
File Integrity DigestVerified · CCN 451312

Safe-Harbor Data Corrections: Parsed directly from public 45 CFR § 180 hospital filings, CMS Care Compare, and CMS HCRIS cost reports. Hospital compliance officers may submit updated MRF URLs or rate tables for verification.

Submit MRF Update Correction Policy