Cuero Regional Hospital
2550 N Esplanade, Cuero, TX 77954 · 38 Priced Procedures · 68% Patient Recommendation
Typical commercial prices here are +52% above the fair benchmark (1.52×) even after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.
4-Star CMS clinical quality rating paired with 1.52× fair market pricing.
Wide Procedure Spread · Upper-Quartile Skew Pricer
Cuero Regional Hospital prices routine shoppable procedures at 2.2× Medicare (median 1.32× Fair BaseRate) while upper-quartile commercial rates jump +62% to 2.14× Fair BaseRate. Self-pay cash discounts and comparing specific CPT procedure codes before scheduling yield the strongest savings.
Where They're Good (Patient & Payer Edge)
- Bottom-quartile procedures (Q25) price at 0.85× the peer BaseRate benchmark
- Self-pay cash beats commercial insurance on 97% of shoppable procedures (99/100 Cash Honesty)
- 4-Star CMS clinical rating with 68% patient recommendation (67/100 safety score)
- Binding Good Faith Estimate rights under 45 CFR § 149.610 protect self-pay patients before scheduling
Where You Can Get Burned (Markup Traps)
- Outpatient surgery & OR suites carry a 2.8× markup over Medicare rates
- Commercial insurance median sits at 1.32× Fair BaseRate (2.2× Medicare), so insured patients should always compare the self-pay cash price before paying.
- Upper-quartile procedures (Q75 2.14×) jump +62% above the median procedure ratio (Q50 1.32×)
- Unnegotiated chargemaster list prices average 6.0× Medicare (28¢ true HCRIS cost per $1 gross)
Pre-scheduled outpatient procedures where patients can comparison-shop.
Emergency, inpatient DRG, lab, and specialty drug lines billed after admission.
Detects median-gaming when upper-quartile codes spike above the p50 median.
Procedure Prices at Cuero Regional Hospital
High-impact clinical procedures (MRIs, surgeries, inpatient stays, visits) are prioritized first. Use the category pills or search bar to filter all 38 published procedures.
| Procedure & Billing Code | This Hospital | vs. Fair |
|---|---|---|
| MRI, brain (no contrast) CPT Code: 70551 | $725 | 2.1× |
| MRI, knee or other leg joint CPT Code: 73721 | $725 | 2.0× |
| MRI, brain (with and without contrast) CPT Code: 70553 | $725 | 1.4× |
| MRI, lower back (no contrast) CPT Code: 72148 | $725 | unverified |
| CT scan, head (no contrast) CPT Code: 70450 | $550 | 3.4× |
| CT scan, pelvis CPT Code: 72192 | $550 | 3.4× |
| CT scan, sinuses CPT Code: 70486 | $550 | 3.3× |
| CT scan, chest (no contrast) CPT Code: 71250 | $550 | 3.3× |
| CT scan, neck (cervical spine) CPT Code: 72125 | $550 | 3.3× |
| CT scan, head (with contrast) CPT Code: 70460 | $550 | 2.3× |
| CT scan, head (with and without contrast) CPT Code: 70470 | $550 | 2.1× |
| CT scan, abdomen and pelvis (no contrast) CPT Code: 74176 | $550 | 1.8× |
| CT scan, abdomen and pelvis (with contrast) CPT Code: 74177 | $550 | 1.2× |
| CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine) CPT Code: 72131 | $550 | unverified |
| Blood transfusion CPT Code: 36430 | $411 | 0.8× |
| Hepatitis B immune globulin HCPCS Code: 90371 | $146 | 1.0× |
| MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella) HCPCS Code: 90707 | $165 | 1.5× |
| Tdap vaccine (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) HCPCS Code: 90715 | $153 | unverified |
| DTaP vaccine (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) HCPCS Code: 90700 | $103 | 2.6× |
| Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine HCPCS Code: 90716 | $107 | unverified |
| Hepatitis B vaccine HCPCS Code: 90744 | $78 | 2.1× |
| Speech therapy (language evaluation) CPT Code: 92507 | $73 | 0.8× |
| Pneumococcal vaccine HCPCS Code: 90732 | $77 | 0.6× |
| Flu vaccine (high dose) HCPCS Code: 90656 | $47 | 1.9× |
| Flu vaccine injection HCPCS Code: G0008 | $43 | 0.9× |
Audit a Bill or Quote at Cuero Regional Hospital (Zero PHI Required)
Above Standard 400% FPL Financial-Assistance Ceiling
At 274% FPL, you exceed the standard 400% FPL tier, though medical-hardship caps (when bills exceed 10% of annual income) may still apply.
Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible
Ask Cuero Regional Hospital's billing desk for their written 45 CFR § 180 discounted self-pay cash price and Good Faith Estimate under the No Surprises Act.
Negotiate Toward $343 Fair BaseRate ($244 Medicare)
Your bill ($1,740) is $1,397 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($343) and 7.1× the $244 Medicare rate.
Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) & Amounts Generally Billed (AGB)
Public IRS & CMS ownership records classify Cuero Regional Hospital as a non-501(c)(3) facility. Federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) statutory charity-care caps apply specifically to tax-exempt nonprofit hospitals, though state hospital fair-pricing statutes and prompt-pay self-pay discounts may still apply.
Clinical Quality, Patient Experience & Infection Benchmarks
Source: CMS Hospital Care Compare (29 completed HCAHPS patient surveys). Clinical quality metrics summarize historical facility-wide cohorts and are not medical advice for individual care decisions.
How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings
2D regional comparison of commercial negotiated price index against CMS clinical quality composite for Cuero Regional Hospital.
Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings
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.