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Difficult Bladder Catheter Placement

Virginia rates for HCPCS 51703

This is the placement of a temporary tube into the bladder to drain urine in a case made difficult by scarring, altered anatomy, or a prior catheter that broke or would not come out normally. It requires more skill and time than a routine catheter placement because of these added complications.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Difficult Bladder Catheter Placement cost?

$148

Typical negotiated rate. In Virginia, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $148 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $145 from a physician practice, and about $813 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 8 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$145$89.13 to $186
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$813$138 to $3,631

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $813 · 10th to 90th $87 to $7,079Professionalmedian $145 · 10th to 90th $71 to $269
$20$100$500$2K$10Kfacility $813professional $145

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
$87.10
Median
$2,041.74
Typical High
$7,079.46
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$33.88
Median
$144.54
Typical High
$263.03
Anthem BCBS
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$2,137.96
Median
$2,570.40
Typical High
$2,951.21
Anthem BCBS
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$77.62
Median
$141.25
Typical High
$239.88
CareFirst
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$85.11
Median
$117.49
Typical High
$1,047.13
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$87.10
Median
$147.91
Typical High
$263.03
Kaiser Permanente
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$66.07
Median
$181.97
Typical High
$478.63
Medcost
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$204.17
Median
$251.19
Typical High
$354.81
Medcost
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$67.61
Median
$147.91
Typical High
$257.04
Sentara
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$72.44
Median
$107.15
Typical High
$1,659.59
Sentara
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$128.82
Median
$194.98
Typical High
$1,659.59
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$204.17
Median
$1,122.02
Typical High
$2,454.71
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$70.79
Median
$131.83
Typical High
$251.19

Where Virginia sits

The same service costs 3.5 times more in Alaska than in West Virginia. 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.

Virginia· 39th of 51

$148

AK $331WV $95.50

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.