Prices at 5 hospitals in Birmingham, AL, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,395 — about the US median ($1,395), roughly 8.1× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Children's Hospital of Alabama | Birmingham, AL | $789 | $1,460 | — | — | — |
| St. Vincent's East | Birmingham, AL | $1,395 | $1,077 | ★ 3/5 | 158 min | — |
| St Vincent's Birmingham | Birmingham, AL | $1,395 | $1,077 | ★ 3/5 | 243 min | — |
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 $1,395 — about 8.1× the Medicare rate ($171). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($343).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $2,837 list price could save about $1,442 (51%).
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 Birmingham
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joel Butler, MD | Emergency Medicine | Birmingham, AL | 885 |
| Preston Gallaher, M.D. | Emergency Medicine | Birmingham, AL | 632 |
| Alan Cease, M.D. | Emergency Medicine | Birmingham, AL | 516 |
| Daniel Pirvan, M.D. | Emergency Medicine | Birmingham, AL | 507 |
| Christopher Williams, M.D. | Emergency Medicine | Birmingham, AL | 504 |
| Alyssa Polson, MD | Emergency Medicine | Birmingham, AL | 495 |
| Scott Kelley, M.D. | Emergency Medicine | Birmingham, AL | 449 |
| Robinson Taylor, M.D. | Emergency Medicine | Birmingham, AL | 416 |
| Andre Doucet, M.D. | Emergency Medicine | Birmingham, AL | 409 |
| Harold Kim, MD | Emergency Medicine | Birmingham, AL | 409 |
| Chigozie Obiaka, M.D. | Family Practice | Birmingham, AL | 388 |
| Monica Hoffmeister- Becerra, MD | Family Practice | Birmingham, AL | 380 |
All Emergency department visit (level 5) prices in Alabama → · All Emergency department visit (level 5) prices (national) · All hospitals in Birmingham