Laboratory · 82438
Chloride Level
What Medicare pays for 82438, what providers bill, and how the price varies across 1 states, drawn from CMS 2023 claims data.
- $4.90
- Medicare pays
- $86.87
- Providers bill
- 17.7×
- Markup
- #8,582 of 9,297
- Volume rank
The verdict
Chloride Level posts modest national service volume.
- 8th pct.
- national service volume
- $4.90
- Medicare pays, national avg
Volume percentile ranks this code's national service volume against every tracked procedure; markup percentile ranks its billed-to-Medicare ratio the same way. The same two figures drive both the verdict sentence and the chips above.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the 2023 Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners dataset records payments for 9,297 procedure codes billed across 5,426 hospitals in 56 states and territories; see our methodology for how each figure is sourced and computed.
Jurisdiction coverage for this code
56states and territories in the CMS extract
Price Range Across States
What You Might Pay
Estimated using RAND 2024 commercial-to-Medicare ratios. Actual prices vary by insurer, plan, and facility.
How we estimate these prices
These estimates are based on the RAND Hospital Price Transparency Study (4th Edition, 2024). We map each PlainProcedure category onto a RAND CPT-section bucket (Surgery, Radiology, Pathology and Laboratory, Medicine, Anesthesia, Evaluation and Management) or fall back to the national average when no bucket matches. For Laboratory, the applied ratio is 1.85x Medicare (RAND 2024 Pathology and Laboratory bucket (1.85x) + CMS Medicare baseline). Cash/self-pay estimates blend typical cash discounts (55% of billed charges) with Medicare-based estimates (150% of allowed amounts). These are statistical estimates, not quotes. Contact your insurer or provider for actual costs.
What the billed charge breaks down into
$86.87
Prices by State
| State | Medicare Payment | Billed Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $4.90 | $95.00 |
What the Data Says About Chloride Level
Across 1 states with reporting providers, CPT code 82438 (Chloride Level) shows a national average Medicare payment of $4.90 against an average billed charge of $86.87. That gap, a 17.7x markup, or 1673% above the Medicare allowed amount, is not a meaningful ratio for this low-payment code, so treat the billed figure as a chargemaster reference point rather than a real-world price.
Laboratory procedures like this one saw 34 services billed to Medicare in 2023 by 6 distinct providers, serving 33 unique beneficiaries. Regional variation is limited in the underlying CMS file. At just 0%, this procedure prices remarkably consistently nationwide, GPCI adjustments barely move the needle for this particular code. Applying the RAND 2024 commercial-to-Medicare ratio for this category (1.85x Medicare; RAND 2024 Pathology and Laboratory bucket (1.85x) + CMS Medicare baseline), the estimated commercial insurance price lands near $9.07, with self-pay cash discounts commonly bringing the figure closer to $27.56. Within Laboratory, Chloride Level ranks #477 of 502 tracked procedures by national average Medicare payment.
Where this sits in the registry
Chloride Level (82438) is a CMS 2023 Part B code. These pages keep the volume map and the markup map separate.
- National volume versus markup on the statistics page, the same two maps as this capsule. Statistics
- Other Laboratory codes, ranked by Medicare payment inside the category. Category
- How volume rank and markup rank are computed. Methodology
- The full procedures listing in volume order. Procedures
Figures here are CMS averages, not a quote for any patient, plan, or visit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Chloride Level rank among Medicare procedures?
According to CMS Medicare Part B claims, Chloride Level (CPT 82438) ranks #8,582 of 9,297 procedures by national service volume, the same sort as the procedures listing, and #477 of 502 within Laboratory by national average Medicare payment. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
How much does Chloride Level cost?
Chloride Level (CPT 82438) is priced fairly consistently nationwide: Medicare pays $4.90 on average, and the $4.90-$4.90 state range stays relatively tight. Providers typically bill $86.87.
Why do providers charge more than Medicare pays?
Providers set their own chargemaster rates (billed charges), which are typically much higher than what any insurer pays. Medicare pays a fixed rate based on the procedure code and geographic location. The billed charge is relevant mainly for uninsured patients, who may face prices closer to the submitted charge.
How much does Chloride Level cost with insurance?
With commercial insurance, chloride level costs an estimated $9.07 on average (range: $6.35-$12.69), a moderate premium over Medicare's $4.90. Without insurance, the estimated cash price is $27.56.
How many providers perform Chloride Level?
Chloride Level is comparatively uncommon: only 6 providers nationally billed Medicare for it in 2023, serving 33 beneficiaries via 34 total services.
What is the billed-to-Medicare markup for Chloride Level?
Providers bill 17.7x what Medicare pays for Chloride Level - a markup within the typical range at 1673% above the Medicare rate.
Related Guides
Tips to reduce out-of-pocket costs
Your right to upfront pricing
How Medicare payments work
Decode charges and codes
Why bills exceed actual costs
Geographic pricing factors
Data from CMS Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners (2023).
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Every figure on PlainProcedure is rendered directly from CMS Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on CMS Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error.