Chimeric Antigen Receptor (car) T-cell and Other Immunotherapies — what U.S. hospitals charge

MS-DRG 018 · Inpatient stay · 49 U.S. hospitals publish a price

Cheapest quarter

under $1,749,260

Typical charge

$1,973,835

Dearest quarter

over $2,622,378

Actually paid

$469,787

The middle U.S. hospital bills $1,973,835 for Chimeric Antigen Receptor (car) T-cell and Other Immunotherapies. The dearest hospitals charge about 2.6x what the cheapest do for the same coded work. Medicare actually paid about $469,787 per case.

These are charges, not quotes. What you pay depends on your insurance and your own case. The figures matter because the charge is where an uninsured or out-of-network bill starts.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor (car) T-cell and Other Immunotherapies cost by state

The middle charge in each state where at least three hospitals publish a price, cheapest first.

State	Hospitals	Typical charge	Range
Texas	3	$1,723,851	$1,148,750 – $6,419,902
California	6	$1,915,147	$1,684,784 – $2,698,585
New York	4	$2,233,550	$724,963 – $2,711,945
Illinois	3	$2,833,228	$2,770,449 – $3,326,965
Pennsylvania	3	$6,565,675	$2,622,378 – $7,196,637

Where Chimeric Antigen Receptor (car) T-cell and Other Immunotherapies is charged least

Hospitals that performed it at least eleven times, so a single case cannot set the figure.

Hospital	Charged	Actually paid
University Of Maryland Medical Center Baltimore, MD	$359,987	$312,201
Strong Memorial Hospital Rochester, NY	$724,963	$339,500
Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital Milwaukee, WI	$834,634	$231,932
University Of Wi Hospitals & Clinics Authority Madison, WI	$850,262	$292,906
University Of Utah Hospital And Clinics Salt Lake City, UT	$1,096,941	$462,838
Ut Of Texas Southwestern University Hospital - William P. Clements Jr. Dallas, TX	$1,148,750	$349,925
Ohsu Hospital And Clinics Portland, OR	$1,329,374	$491,103
Unc Hospitals Chapel Hill, NC	$1,354,277	$432,773
Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA	$1,653,572	$432,573
University Of California Davis Medical Center Sacramento, CA	$1,684,784	$499,680
Barnes Jewish Hospital Saint Louis, MO	$1,704,939	$435,401
Baylor University Medical Center Dallas, TX	$1,723,851	$391,501

Where it is charged most

Hospitals that performed it at least eleven times, so a single case cannot set the figure.

Hospital	Charged	Actually paid
Temple University Hospital Philadelphia, PA	$7,196,637	$639,965
Upmc Presbyterian Shadyside Pittsburgh, PA	$6,565,675	$541,456
Medical City Dallas Hospital Dallas, TX	$6,419,902	$388,644
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago, IL	$3,326,965	$586,986
Hca Healthone Presbyterian St. Lukes Denver, CO	$3,224,959	$282,683
Franciscan Health Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN	$2,948,093	$497,760
Medstar Georgetown University Hospital Washington, DC	$2,861,036	$638,628
Loyola University Medical Center Maywood, IL	$2,833,228	$950,547
The University Of Chicago Medical Center Chicago, IL	$2,770,449	$486,850
Montefiore Medical Center Bronx, NY	$2,711,945	$439,122
Stanford Health Care Stanford, CA	$2,698,585	$394,664
Carolinas Medical Center/Behav Health Charlotte, NC	$2,663,431	$594,756

Questions people ask

What do U.S. hospitals charge for Chimeric Antigen Receptor (car) T-cell and Other Immunotherapies?

Across 49 U.S. hospitals, the middle charge for Chimeric Antigen Receptor (car) T-cell and Other Immunotherapies is $1,973,835. Half of hospitals charge less than that and half charge more. The cheapest quarter charge under $1,749,260 and the dearest quarter over $2,622,378.

Why do hospitals charge such different amounts for the same procedure?

Because a hospital charge is a list price it sets itself, not a regulated rate. For Chimeric Antigen Receptor (car) T-cell and Other Immunotherapies, the hospitals in the dearest tenth charge about 2.6x what the cheapest tenth charge for the same coded work. Insurers negotiate their own rates from those lists, which is why the charge and what is actually paid can be very far apart.

Is that what I would actually pay?

No. $469,787 is roughly what Medicare actually paid per case, against an average charge of $2,187,781. If you have insurance, your plan pays a negotiated rate and you pay your deductible and coinsurance. If you are uninsured or out of network, the hospital's charge is where your bill starts — which is why the gap matters. Ask for a written good-faith estimate before treatment.

What this code covers

CMS records this work as MS-DRG 018: “CHIMERIC ANTIGEN RECEPTOR (CAR) T-CELL AND OTHER IMMUNOTHERAPIES”. A DRG covers a whole inpatient stay rather than a single item, so the charge includes the room, the procedure and the care around it. Codes that mention complications carry a different, usually higher price.

Related procedures

Comprehensive Observation Services typically $19,434
Fluid and Electrolyte Disorder (severe) typically $48,503
Fluid and Electrolyte Disorder (without major complications) typically $30,556
Fainting typically $36,628
Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures with Complications typically $100,513
Red Blood Cell Disorders without Major Complications typically $37,191
Diabetes (with complications) typically $34,584
Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures with Major Complications typically $179,554

Before you are billed

Ask for a written good-faith estimate — you are entitled to one if you are uninsured or paying yourself.
Check the hospital's machine-readable price file; every U.S. hospital must publish one.
If you are insured, ask whether every provider involved is in network — the surprise usually comes from the ones you never met.

Read the guides →