CPT 84443
Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)
A single blood test that screens thyroid function. Ordered for fatigue, weight change, and as part of many routine work-ups.
Billed to Medicare
$56
What providers submitted, on average, for this code in a hospital setting.
Medicare accepted
$16
What Medicare treated as payable. Not a commercial rate or a cash price.
The gap
3.4x
How many times the accepted amount the billed figure was.
National averages from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2024 data, retrieved 2026-09-14. Medicare fee-for-service, physician and practitioner claims only. The hospital's own charge for the same code is separate and is usually higher. Based on 2,664 services.
Among the 10 lab tests codes on this site with CMS figures, this gap ranks 7 of 10 (median 3.7x). The widest is Urinalysis, automated with microscopy at 5.5x.
Where this line goes wrong
Frequency limits
Insurers and Medicare have rules on how often thyroid tests are covered without a specific diagnosis. A denial for frequency is a coverage question for the ordering doctor, not a bill to pay at list price.
Reflex testing
An abnormal TSH often triggers a second test (free T4). That is legitimate, but it should appear as a separate result in the lab report.
Check it, then ask
- 1
Ask for the itemized bill and the lab results and match every billed test to a result.
- 2
Check for a panel billed alongside one of its own components, or two overlapping panels on the same draw.
- 3
Count the blood draw (36415) lines; one per visit is the norm.
- 4
If self-pay, ask for the hospital's cash price for each test, or compare with an independent lab's published price.
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Codes that travel with this one
People also ask
Why did I get a bill for a thyroid test?
Often because it was billed as diagnostic and applied to your deductible, or because a frequency limit was exceeded. Ask the ordering office to check the diagnosis code.
Sources
This page explains a billing code in general terms. It is not a coding, legal or medical opinion about your bill, and the code descriptions are mediloop's own plain-English summaries, not the official CPT descriptors, which are owned by the American Medical Association. Whether a charge was correct depends on the record of your visit and your payer's rules.