Cost analysis for CPT 81529 — Mrna gene analysis of 31 genes in skin melanoma tissue specimen
Average Medicare Payment
$7049.14
2023 data
Total Payments (2023)
$66.1M
Services (2023)
9.4K
Price Change (2021–2023)
-2.0%
| Year | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $7193.00 | $44.5M | 6.2K | — |
| 2022 | $7099.97 | $56.8M | 8.0K | -1.3% |
| 2023 | $7049.14 | $66.1M | 9.4K | -0.7% |
The most expensive state pays 1.0x more than the cheapest for this procedure. AZ averages $7049.14 vs AZ at $7049.14.
| State | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AZ | $7049.14 | $66.1M | 9.4K | 1 |
| Provider | Specialty | State | Payments | Services | Avg/Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Biosciences, Inc | Clinical Laboratory | AZ | $66.1M | 9.4K | $7049.14 |
Based on the data, CPT 81529 shows a 1.0x variation in pricing across states — relatively consistent by Medicare standards.
Costs have decreased 2% since 2021. Medicare's fee schedule attempts to standardize pricing, though some variation is expected due to geographic cost-of-living adjustments and practice expense differences.
This analysis is based on publicly available CMS data and does not account for patient complexity, comorbidities, or facility-specific factors that may justify pricing differences.
Note: All data is from publicly available Medicare records. OpenMedicare is an independent journalism project not affiliated with CMS.