go back

VLCAD Enzyme Activity Test

Iowa rates for HCPCS 0257U

Measures how well the enzyme VLCAD is working in white blood cells from a whole blood sample. VLCAD helps the body break down certain fats for energy; this test measures the enzyme's activity rather than examining the gene that makes it.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does VLCAD Enzyme Activity Test cost?

$851

Typical negotiated rate. In Iowa, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $851 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $708 from a physician practice, and about $1,259 from a hospital or other facility. The two figures are alternatives, not parts of one bill.

These are rates insurers have negotiated with providers, not the amount a patient is billed. What you owe depends on your plan's deductible and coinsurance. Based on rates published by 7 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

Where it's billed changes the price

Billed byTypicalRange
Physician practiceA doctor's office, clinic or independent provider$708$427 to $1,380
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$1,259$708 to $1,862

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $1,259 · 10th to 90th $708 to $2,042Professionalmedian $708 · 10th to 90th $427 to $1,698
$500$1K$2Kfacility $1,259professional $708

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Each curve is scaled to its own total: facility and professional rates are different services, shown together to compare where they cluster. Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$707.95
Median
$1,698.24
Typical High
$2,041.74
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$467.74
Median
$467.74
Typical High
$467.74
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,023.29
Median
$1,380.38
Typical High
$1,698.24
Hally Health
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$151.36
Median
$891.25
Typical High
$1,258.93
Medica
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$707.95
Median
$851.14
Typical High
$1,905.46
Medica
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$426.58
Median
$426.58
Typical High
$1,548.82
Midlands
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$870.96
Median
$870.96
Typical High
$870.96
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$707.95
Median
$707.95
Typical High
$1,584.89
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$426.58
Median
$426.58
Typical High
$1,548.82
Wellmark
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$562.34
Median
$707.95
Typical High
$707.95

Where Iowa sits

The same service costs 3.6 times more in North Dakota than in Oklahoma. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Touch or drag across it to read any state, then open that state for its carriers and full range.

Iowa· 7th of 51

$851

ND $1,096OK $302

Median negotiated rate in each state, from every insurer that publishes one. States where no insurer publishes a rate for this service are not shown.