How Much Does UFE Cost in NYC?

Quick Answer

There is no single price: the cost of UFE in NYC depends on your insurance coverage and on separate charges for the physician, the facility, imaging, sedation and follow-up. If you pay yourself, you are entitled to a written good faith estimate before treatment.

There is no single price for uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) in NYC. What you pay depends mostly on two things: whether your insurance covers it, and how the care is billed. That includes the doctor's fee, the facility where it is done, imaging before and after, sedation, and follow-up visits. With insurance, your share is usually set by your deductible, copays and coinsurance. Without insurance, you are entitled to a written good faith estimate before you are treated.

We do not publish made-up price ranges, and we are wary of websites that do. This article explains what goes into the cost so you can ask for an accurate number for your own situation.

What makes up the cost of UFE

A UFE bill is usually several charges, not one. Some may come from different providers.

Part of the cost	What it covers	What to ask
Physician fee	The doctor who performs the embolization and interprets the X-ray imaging used during it	Is this quoted separately from the facility charge?
Facility or setting	The room, staff, equipment, catheters and embolic particles; recovery time; an overnight stay if needed	Where will it be done, and does that location bill its own fee?
Imaging before treatment	Usually an MRI or ultrasound of the uterus to plan the procedure	Is a new MRI needed, or can recent images be used?
Sedation or anesthesia	Medication to keep you relaxed and comfortable	Who provides sedation, and is it billed separately?
Tests before treatment	Cervical screening, blood counts, sometimes a sample of the uterine lining	Which tests do I still need, and who orders them?
Medications and supplies	Prescriptions for pain, nausea and cramping afterward	What will I take home, and is it covered?
Follow-up	Office visits and sometimes repeat imaging to check results	How many follow-up visits are included?

Two of these vary the most. The setting matters because a hospital and an outpatient or office-based suite can bill very differently. According to RadiologyInfo, the patient site run by the American College of Radiology and the Radiological Society of North America, UFE is usually done in a catheterization lab, occasionally in an operating room, and many doctors do it as an outpatient procedure. ACOG notes that some women go home the same day while others stay overnight. An overnight stay usually adds cost. Imaging also varies, because an MRI with contrast is a separate, sizable charge if you have not already had one. The European interventional radiology society (CIRSE) named MRI with contrast as the preferred imaging before UFE in its 2015 guideline.

If you have insurance

When a plan covers UFE, your out-of-pocket cost usually comes down to:

Your deductible. How much of it you have already met this year can change your share a lot.
Coinsurance or copays. Check your share for outpatient procedures and for advanced imaging, since these are often listed separately.
Network status. The doctor, the facility and any anesthesia provider can each be in or out of network. Ask about each one.
Prior authorization. If your plan requires approval and it is not obtained, the claim may be denied.

Our article on whether UFE is covered by insurance explains what insurers look for, the records that support approval, and how to appeal a denial in New York. For general benefit questions, see our insurance coverage guide.

If you pay for UFE yourself

If you are uninsured, or choose not to use insurance, federal law gives you a right to a written estimate. Under the No Surprises Act rules, as described by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS):

Your provider must give you a good faith estimate if you ask for one, or if you schedule care at least 3 business days ahead.
If you schedule 3 to 9 business days ahead, you should get it within 1 business day. If you schedule 10 or more business days ahead, within 3 business days.
If a provider or facility bills you at least $400 more than its estimate, you may be able to dispute the bill. You need the estimate and an initial bill dated within the last 120 calendar days.

When you ask for a self-pay quote, ask whether it is a package or only the physician's fee. A low number that leaves out the facility, imaging or sedation is not a real comparison. Ask whether follow-up visits are included, and what happens to the cost if you need to stay overnight.

Questions about your treatment options? Dr. Fox can help.

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This article is part of our Fibroid Treatment Guide.

What studies say about UFE cost compared with surgery

You may read that UFE is cheaper than surgery. The largest US cost comparison we could verify does not show that, at least for the first year.

In a 2008 study by Carls and colleagues, researchers looked at commercial insurance claims from 1999 to 2004 for 22,860 women who had a procedure for fibroids. Uterine artery embolization (UAE) was only 1.6% of the procedures. Medical costs in the year of the procedure were highest for UAE:

Procedure	Operative-year cost (unadjusted)	Operative-year cost (adjusted)
Uterine artery embolization	$16,430	$20,634
Hysterectomy	$15,180	$17,390
Myomectomy	$14,726	$18,674
Endometrial ablation	$12,096	$13,019

The authors also found that three years after treatment, women who had a hysterectomy had the lowest yearly costs. Keep the limits in mind. These are total claims paid more than 20 years ago, not what a patient paid out of pocket, and not New York prices. They are useful mainly to show that the procedure fee is only part of the picture.

A UK randomized trial adds a longer view. In the REST trial, 5-year results published in 2011 found costs were similar between UAE and surgery. But 32% of the UAE group needed another procedure for treatment failure or complications within 5 years, compared with 4% after surgery. A repeat procedure is a real cost, in money and in time.

Time off work is part of the cost

Recovery time affects your budget too, especially if you are hourly, self-employed, or caring for others. UFE usually means a shorter recovery than open surgery:

In the Dutch EMMY trial, the reported time to return to paid work was 28.1 days after UAE, compared with 63.4 days after hysterectomy (2006 report).
In the US FIRSTT trial, a smaller study comparing UAE with focused ultrasound, the median time off work after UAE was 8 days (2017 report).
ACOG says pain and cramping can last up to 2 weeks after the procedure.

Your own time off depends on your job and how you feel. Our article on UFE vs hysterectomy covers recovery and long-term trade-offs in more detail.

How to get a real number for your situation

Find out whether you are a candidate. There is no point pricing a procedure that may not suit your fibroids. A consultation and a review of your imaging come first.
Ask for the billing details. Request the procedure code (UAE for fibroids is generally billed as CPT 37243), the facility name, and whether imaging and sedation are billed separately.
Call your insurer with those details. Ask about coverage, prior authorization, and your share for each part.
If paying yourself, get a written good faith estimate that lists every provider who will bill you.
Compare full costs, not headline prices. Include follow-up, time off work, and the chance of needing another procedure.

Our checklist of questions to ask before UFE includes the cost questions alongside the medical ones.

Learn more before you decide

Cost matters, but it should sit beside what the treatment can and cannot do for you. Our main page on uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) explains how the procedure works and what the research shows. To compare UFE with medication, myomectomy and hysterectomy, see our fibroid treatment guide. Dr. David Fox, a board-certified vascular surgeon in Manhattan who performs UFE, can talk you through your options and what to ask about cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I find one price for UFE?

UFE is usually billed as several charges: the physician, the facility, imaging, sedation and follow-up. These vary by setting and by insurance contract, so a single number rarely reflects what you will pay.

Is UFE cheaper than a hysterectomy?

Not necessarily. In a large 2008 US claims study, UAE had the highest medical costs in the first year, and hysterectomy had the lowest yearly costs three years later. UFE usually means less time off work, which also affects your total cost.

What is a good faith estimate?

If you are not using insurance, your provider must give you a written estimate when you ask or when you schedule at least 3 business days ahead. If the bill is at least $400 higher than the estimate, you may be able to dispute it.

Does insurance cover the MRI before UFE?

Often, but it is a separate charge and may need its own approval. Ask your plan about advanced imaging and whether prior authorization is required.

Could I need to pay for another procedure later?

Possibly. In the UK REST trial, 32% of women who had UAE needed another procedure within 5 years, compared with 4% after surgery. Ask your doctor how that risk applies to your fibroids.

Keep Reading

Sources

Medically reviewed by David Fox, MD, FACS, RPVI. This article is general information, not a substitute for a medical evaluation.

Living with heavy periods, pelvic pressure or other fibroid symptoms? Schedule a consultation with Dr. David Fox at Fox Vein & Vascular in Manhattan to find out whether uterine fibroid embolization is right for you. Call (212) 362-3470 or request a UFE consultation online.