Annual physical, returning 65+ cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 7 hospitals list a cash price for preventive checkup, returning patient aged 65 or older: from $65.25 to $371.70, with a median of $184.80. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center South — $119.55 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $169.00 at 13 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 5 cities for code 99397, 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 Periodic Preventive Med Est Patient 65yrs& Older | $65.25 | $145.00 | $32.55–$394.86 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Periodic Preventive Med Est Patient 65yrs& Older | $78.97 | $175.49 | $33.59–$475.07 | 55% | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC Preventive Est Pt Physical 65+ Yr | $105.00 | $105.00 | $29.70–$235.27 | — | — source file |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC per Pm Reeval Est Pat 65+ Yr | $184.80 | $264.00 | $22.70–$362.47 | 30% | — source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC per Pm Reeval Est Pat 65+ Yr | $187.60 | $268.00 | $34.89–$530.75 | 30% | — source file |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC per Pm Reeval Est Pat 65+ Yr | $271.60 | $388.00 | $26.45–$388.00 | 30% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Periodic Preventive Med Est Patient 65yrs& Older | $371.70 | $826.00 | $23.27–$516.66 | 55% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $65.25, median $184.80, highest $371.70 — a 5.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $184.80. 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 7 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 yearly preventive checkup for a returning patient aged 65 or older. It includes a review of health history and medicines, a physical exam, counseling and ordering age-appropriate screenings.
What the price covers
The price covers the preventive visit itself. Lab tests, vaccines and screening tests ordered during the visit are billed separately, and treating a new problem at the same visit may add a separate office visit charge.