Prices at 5 hospitals in New Orleans, LA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,252 — 41% below the US median ($2,125), roughly 5.3× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ochsner Medical Center Acute | New Orleans, LA | $749 | $2,722 | ★ 4/5 | 174 min | — |
| University Medical Center New Orleans | New Orleans, LA | $1,166 | — | ★ 2/5 | 327 min | — |
| St Charles Surgical Hospital | New Orleans, LA | $1,252 | — | — | — | — |
| New Orleans East Hospital | New Orleans, LA | $1,545 | $1,050 | — | 140 min | — |
| Childrens Hospital | New Orleans, LA | $2,125 | $660 | — | — | — |
CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated October 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.
Price comparison (median)
Typical cash price here is $1,252 — about 5.3× the Medicare rate ($238). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($476).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $5,301 list price could save about $4,049 (76%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Doctors who perform this in New Orleans
Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Rupe, MD | Anesthesiology | New Orleans, LA | 21 |
| Thomas Marshall, M.D, | Anesthesiology | New Orleans, LA | 13 |
| Jason Falterman, MD | Anesthesiology | New Orleans, LA | 12 |
All Central line placement prices in Louisiana → · All Central line placement prices (national) · All hospitals in New Orleans