Returning patient visit, 40 min cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 8 hospitals list a cash price for returning patient office visit, high complexity or 40+ minutes: from $136.02 to $459.90, with a median of $271.25. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center South — $135.23 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $257.60 at 19 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 5 cities for code 99215, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Medical Center South lowest Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC Office Outpatient Visit 40 Mins Met or Exceeded | $136.02 | $302.27 | $30.54–$394.86 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Office Outpatient Visit 40 Mins Met or Exceeded | $162.64 | $361.43 | $29.12–$475.07 | 55% | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC Psych Est Pt Office Level 5 Visit | $215.00 | $215.00 | $9.79–$373.93 | — | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC Est Pt Office Level 5 Visit | $215.00 | $215.00 | $29.70–$215.00 | — | — source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 PR Office O/P Established Pt Level 5 | $257.60 | $368.00 | $34.89–$530.75 | 30% | — source file |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 PR Office O/P Established Pt Level 5 | $284.90 | $407.00 | $22.70–$407.00 | 30% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Office Outpatient Visit 40 Minutes | $401.85 | $893.00 | $23.27–$759.05 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Office Outpatient Visit 40 Mins Met or Exceeded | $401.85 | $893.00 | $23.27–$759.05 | 55% | — source file |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 PR Office O/P Established Pt Level 5 | $414.40 | $592.00 | $26.45–$888.00 | 30% | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 Office/Outpatient Established High Mdm 40 Min | $420.00 | $420.00 | $9.79–$420.00 | — | — source file |
| Shriners Childrens - Boston Boston, MA · (617) 722-3000 ESTABLISHED PATIENT OFFICE OR OTHER OUTPATIENT VISIT; 40-54 MINUTES | $459.90 | $459.90 | $82.16–$817.41 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $136.02, median $271.25, highest $459.90 — a 3.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $271.25. 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 8 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 is the highest level of office or outpatient visit for a returning patient, with high complexity decision making or at least 40 minutes of total clinician time on the visit date. It is used for serious or rapidly changing problems that may need urgent decisions.
What the price covers
The price covers the clinician's visit. Lab tests, X-rays, procedures and any hospital facility fee at a hospital-owned clinic are billed separately.