PT evaluation, low complexity cost in Buffalo, NY
In Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, 6 hospitals list a cash price for physical therapy evaluation, low complexity (typically about 20 minutes): from $92.76 to $222.86, with a median of $180.00. The lowest listed price is at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center — $87.24 less than the median here. Across New York, the median is $181.16 at 56 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 3 cities for code 97161, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Aug 25, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center lowest Niagara Falls, NY · (716) 278-4000 PT EVAL LOW COMPLEX 20 MIN | $92.76 | $132.51 | $57.12–$125.63 | 30% | — source file |
| Erie County Medical Center Buffalo, NY · (716) 898-3936 PT EVAL LOW COMPLEX 20 MIN | $95.00 | — | $42.27–$355.50 | — | Aug 25, 2026 source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 HC Pt Physical Therapy Evaluation Low Complex 20 Mins | $180.00 | $180.00 | $34.34–$232.20 | — | — source file |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 HC Pt Physical Therapy Evaluation Low Complex 20 Mins | $180.00 | $180.00 | $34.34–$232.20 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 HC Pt Physical Therapy Evaluation Low Complex 20 Mins | $180.00 | $180.00 | $34.34–$232.20 | — | — source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 Physical Therapy Evaluation Low Complex 20 Mins | $181.00 | $181.00 | $34.34–$232.20 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 Physical Therapy Evaluation Low Complex 20 Mins | $181.00 | $181.00 | $34.34–$232.20 | — | — source file |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 Physical Therapy Evaluation Low Complex 20 Mins | $181.00 | $181.00 | $34.34–$232.20 | — | — source file |
| Roswell Park Cancer Institute Buffalo, NY Pt Eval Low Complexity 20 Min | $222.86 | $222.86 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $92.76, median $180.00, highest $222.86 — a 2.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $180.00. 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 5 of 5 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 is a first physical therapy evaluation of low complexity, typically about 20 minutes face to face. It is used for a stable problem with few other health factors, and ends with a plan of care.
What the price covers
The price covers the evaluation, billed once per evaluation rather than in time units. Treatment on the same day, such as therapeutic exercise or manual therapy, is billed separately in 15-minute units.