CMS Price Transparency Data

Blood transfusion

Facility: Virginia Mason Medical Center

Billing Code: 36430 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$777

about 1.7× the $451 Medicare rate · typically $369–$1,327

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$100

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $677 under the fair price · 0.2× Medicare

Medicare pays $451 Fair price $777 This hospital $100 Cash price $856 Hospital's list price $1,679

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other WA hospitals

One of the lower prices — 6 of 8 other WA hospitals charge more for the same procedure.

Cheapest $65 Priciest $465

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 WA 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 Blood transfusion is about $777 (about 1.7× the $451 Medicare rate). Virginia Mason Medical Center charges insurers about $100, or about $856 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Seattle, WA.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

6 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	$45 - $1,610	10%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$49 - $1,477	11%
Aetnamajor	$8 - $4,497	2%
Cignamajor	$150 - $1,613	33%
Humanamajor	$51 - $476	11%
Kaiser Permanentemajor	$51 - $1,208	11%
+ 3 smaller / regional plans	$10 - $1,075

Excludes 2 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 856), 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: 36430.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Virginia Mason Medical Center is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 36430.
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 Virginia Mason Medical Center

Compare: Blood transfusion at other WA hospitals

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