Blood transfusion cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 8 hospitals list a cash price for blood transfusion (giving blood or blood components): from $550.00 to $2,355.10, with a median of $808.29. The lowest listed price is at Cambridge Health Alliance — $258.29 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $895.45 at 19 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 5 cities for code 36430, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge Health Alliance lowest Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC HC Transfusion, Blood & Bl Compon | $550.00 | $550.00 | $28.75–$1,167.51 | — | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance lowest Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC Transfusion, Blood & Bl Compon | $550.00 | $550.00 | $28.75–$1,167.51 | — | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center South Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC Transfusion Blood/Blood Components | $588.88 | $1,308.63 | $394.86–$1,290.44 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Transfusion Blood/Blood Components | $673.20 | $1,496.00 | $431.24–$1,271.60 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Transfusion Blood/Blood Components | $682.08 | $1,515.74 | $437.87–$1,487.10 | 55% | — source file |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC Blood Transfusion Service | $934.50 | $1,335.00 | $437.87–$1,611.00 | 30% | — source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC Blood Transfusion Service | $934.50 | $1,335.00 | $437.87–$1,443.54 | 30% | — source file |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC Blood Transfusion Service | $1,114.40 | $1,592.00 | $418.06–$2,021.62 | 30% | — source file |
| Shriners Childrens - Boston Boston, MA · (617) 722-3000 TRANSFUSION BLD/BLD COMPNT | $2,355.10 | $2,355.10 | $19.71–$840.00 | — | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC HC Transfusion, Blood & Bl Compon | $3,333.05 | $3,333.05 | $8.62–$1,167.51 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $550.00, median $808.29, highest $2,355.10 — a 4.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $682.08. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 7 of 8 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
This code covers giving a transfusion of blood or blood components such as red cells or platelets.
What the price covers
The price is for giving the transfusion. The blood itself, typing and crossmatching are billed separately.