Dell Children's Medical Center
4900 Mueller Blvd, Austin, TX 78723 · 116 Priced Procedures
Typical commercial prices here are +63% above the fair benchmark (1.63×) even after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.
Balances commercial hospital prices against CMS clinical safety, infection control, and patient experience.
Aligned Regional Benchmark Peer
Dell Children's Medical Center prices shoppable and inpatient services (2.3× to 1.8× Medicare, divergence 0.78×) in alignment with regional hospital peers (1.63× Fair BaseRate). Reviewing plan-specific negotiated rates and cash discounts helps lock in the lowest out-of-pocket tier.
Where They're Good (Patient & Payer Edge)
- Bottom-quartile procedures (Q25) price at 0.81× the peer BaseRate benchmark
- Self-pay cash beats commercial insurance on 7% 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 (24.6% AGB cap)
Where You Can Get Burned (Markup Traps)
- Outpatient surgery & OR suites carry a 2.9× markup over Medicare rates
- Commercial insurance median sits at 2.08× Fair BaseRate (2.3× Medicare), so insured patients should always compare the self-pay cash price before paying.
- Upper-quartile procedures (Q75 2.49×) jump +20% above the median procedure ratio (Q50 2.08×)
- Unnegotiated chargemaster list prices average 12.8× Medicare (14¢ 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 Dell Children's Medical Center
High-impact clinical procedures (MRIs, surgeries, inpatient stays, visits) are prioritized first. Use the category pills or search bar to filter all 116 published procedures.
| Procedure & Billing Code | This Hospital | vs. Fair |
|---|---|---|
| Hip or knee replacement (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 470 | $11,474 | 0.6× |
| Total hip replacement CPT Code: 27130 | $11,425 | 0.9× |
| Total knee replacement CPT Code: 27447 | $11,425 | 0.8× |
| Digestive disorders treatment (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 392 | $9,063 | 1.1× |
| Heart stent placement (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 322 | $9,063 | 0.5× |
| Sepsis treatment (inpatient stay) MS-DRG Code: 871 | $9,063 | 0.5× |
| Gallbladder removal (laparoscopic) CPT Code: 47562 | $4,611 | 0.8× |
| Trauma team activation HCPCS Code: G0390 | $3,030 | 2.1× |
| C-section delivery (full package) CPT Code: 59510 | $2,318 | 0.8× |
| Vaginal delivery (full package) CPT Code: 59400 | $2,091 | 0.8× |
| MRI, brain (with and without contrast) CPT Code: 70553 | $1,800 | unverified |
| Sleep study (overnight, in lab) CPT Code: 95810 | $1,703 | 1.7× |
| Blood transfusion CPT Code: 36430 | $1,572 | 3.2× |
| CT scan, abdomen and pelvis (with contrast) CPT Code: 74177 | $1,401 | unverified |
| Inguinal hernia repair CPT Code: 49505 | $1,152 | 0.3× |
| Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair CPT Code: 29881 | $1,088 | 0.3× |
| Bunion correction surgery CPT Code: 28296 | $1,088 | 0.3× |
| Breast lump removal CPT Code: 19120 | $964 | 0.2× |
| CT scan, abdomen and pelvis (no contrast) CPT Code: 74176 | $855 | 2.8× |
| MRI, lower back (no contrast) CPT Code: 72148 | $855 | 2.5× |
| Cataract surgery with lens implant CPT Code: 66984 | $850 | 0.3× |
| MRI, knee or other leg joint CPT Code: 73721 | $782 | 2.1× |
| CT scan, sinuses CPT Code: 70486 | $792 | unverified |
| CT scan, head (with and without contrast) CPT Code: 70470 | $711 | 2.8× |
| MRI, brain (no contrast) CPT Code: 70551 | $731 | 2.1× |
Audit a Bill or Quote at Dell Children's Medical Center (Zero PHI Required)
Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $6,785
At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (24.6% of gross = $6,785).
Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible
Ask Dell Children's Medical Center'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 $19,432 Fair BaseRate ($14,044 Medicare)
Your bill ($27,538) is $8,106 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($19,432) and 2.0× the $14,044 Medicare rate.
Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) & Amounts Generally Billed (AGB)
Hospital-Specific CMS HCRIS Benchmark (24.6% of gross charges)
Under 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5), a tax-exempt hospital organization may not bill FAP-eligible patients more than Amounts Generally Billed (AGB) to individuals with insurance covering emergency or medically necessary care. Derived from this facility’s reported CMS HCRIS cost-to-charge & insurer allowance filings. Verify your exact Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) determination directly with the billing office.
Clinical Quality, Patient Experience & Infection Benchmarks
CMS Price Transparency Administrative Enforcement Log
Factual public administrative actions published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regarding 45 CFR § 180 compliance at Dell Children's Medical Center. Prior administrative notices do not necessarily reflect current compliance status.
- 2026-05-15·administrative_or_closure
Met Requirements
Recorded
Source: CMS Hospital Care Compare. 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 Dell Children's Medical Center.
Notable Payer Contract Outliers (SVD Matrix Anomalies)
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.