Appointment sheet

Back to the ledger

What my diagnostic search has cost

Prepared DATE with Waypoint Ledger · every figure is published U.S. federal data, cited below

Medicare allowed amounts

$1,304

5 priced lines · 1 line without a federal figure. These are published prices for this pattern of care, not a bill and not a claim.

Medicare reference · national. Say who pays for your care and every line will say whether that figure describes you.

Does the published figure describe you: 5 lines are a reference price.

What happenedUnit of care (CMS)TimesPublished figure (Medicare allowed amount, 2026)Line total
saw my regular doctor three timesDoctor's office visit, established patient, low complexity CPT 992133$95.19$285.57
then a cardiologistFirst visit with a new specialist CPT 992041$177.36$177.36
the heart ultrasound thingEchocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) CPT 933061$196.73$196.73
then they put electrodes on my legsNerve and muscle test (EMG), one limb, complete CPT 958861$99.87$99.87
and shocked the nervesnot matched to a federal figure1——
then the ER once when my heart was racingEmergency room visit, moderate complexity — the whole encounter CPT 99284 (APC 5024)1$544.54$544.54

Beside the money, never inside it

Counted, never priced

  • 1 — lines without a federal figure. Care you named that no published federal figure in this table prices, so each is left blank rather than estimated.

None of these is added to the total above, and none is added to another: a missed workday and an hour of someone else’s time are different quantities, and adding them would be a weighting nobody published.

Workdays, unpaid care hours, trips and dismissals are counted on your ledger; whatever you enter there prints here.

Three questions I want to ask today

  1. What do my results so far rule out, and what is still open?
  2. What is the next step, and who should I see for it?
  3. What should I write down or bring before that next visit?

Where every figure comes from

  1. CMS, CY2026 National Physician Fee Schedule Relative Value File (RVU26C, July release, published 2026-06-30) — www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/fee-schedules/physician/pfs-relative-value-files/rvu26c
  2. CMS, January 2026 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System Addendum B; CMS, CY2026 National Physician Fee Schedule Relative Value File (RVU26C, July release, published 2026-06-30) — www.cms.gov/medicare/payment/prospective-payment-systems/hospital-outpatient-pps/quarterly-addenda-updates/january-2026-addendum-b

Help that already exists

Federal rights and programs that can lower what this costs you. Each one was checked against two federal sources on 30 September 2026. None of it is advice about your case. Each address has the details.

  • Ask for a good faith estimate

    If you do not have insurance, or you choose not to use it for a visit or test, in most cases the provider must give you a written estimate of the expected charges when you book at least three business days ahead, or when you ask. You do not need to use the words "good faith estimate". If the bill comes in well above the estimate, you may be able to dispute it.

    cms.gov/nosurprises

  • If you have insurance, ask your plan first

    Most health plans, from work or bought on your own, must let you look up what you would pay for a covered service before you get it: with an online tool, or on paper if you ask.

    cms.gov/priorities/healthplan-price-transparency/overview/consumers

  • Community health centers

    What you pay at a community health center depends on your income.

    findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov

  • Medicaid, including recent bills

    Medicaid may help pay for care you got in the three months before the month you applied, if you would have qualified then. For applications made on or after 1 January 2027, federal law shortens this to one month for adults covered through the Medicaid expansion and two months for everyone else. You can apply with your state’s Medicaid agency, or through HealthCare.gov, which passes your application to your state if it looks like you qualify.

    healthcare.gov/medicaid-chip/getting-medicaid-chip

  • Ask a nonprofit hospital for its financial assistance policy

    Every nonprofit (tax-exempt) hospital must have a written policy that says who can get free or discounted care and how to apply, and must post it on a website. If you qualify, it cannot charge you more for emergency care, or other care you medically need, than it generally bills people who have insurance.

    irs.gov/charities-non-profits/financial-assistance-policy-and-emergency-medical-care-policy-section-501r4

  • Disability benefits

    If your illness stops or limits your ability to work, Social Security has two disability programs: SSDI, for people with enough work history, and SSI, for people with little or no income or resources.

    ssa.gov/disability

Each figure is labelled with what it is: a Medicare allowed amount, an average submitted charge, or a survey average across everyone in the source population. Nothing here is a bill. The counted line above the table says whether the published figure describes this person, is a reference price, is what an uninsured person is billed against, or describes someone else entirely. Not a diagnosis, not treatment advice, not medical records. waypointledger.org · Precision Federal.