# Loa Healthcare Pricing

> Loa helps patients compare source-labeled healthcare procedure prices
> across US hospitals and providers. Data comes from 6,000+ hospital
> Machine Readable Files (MRFs) published under the federal Hospital
> Price Transparency Rule (45 CFR 180), plus Loa-reviewed provider
> submissions when available. Every price row carries a source label
> so users can confirm provenance before booking care.

## API Access

AI assistants can discover Loa through the Model Context Protocol and OpenAPI:

- MCP endpoint: https://www.loacare.com/api/mcp
- Documentation: https://www.loacare.com/mcp
- Discovery: https://www.loacare.com/.well-known/mcp.json
- OpenAPI: https://www.loacare.com/api/v1/openapi.json
- APIs.json index: https://www.loacare.com/apis.json
- ChatGPT integration overview: https://www.loacare.com/chatgpt
- Full AI reference: https://www.loacare.com/llms-full.txt

MCP discovery is public. MCP tool calls and provider update submissions require OAuth. Submitted updates create pending review requests and never change public data until Loa approves them.

## Downloadable Dataset

Loa publishes a dated, non-PHI CSV of aggregate U.S. healthcare procedure price
benchmarks for research, journalism, and software evaluation:

- Canonical dataset page and methodology: https://www.loacare.com/methodology
- CSV download: https://www.loacare.com/datasets/loa-us-healthcare-price-benchmarks.csv
- Versioned GitHub mirror: https://github.com/aanari/loa-healthcare-price-benchmarks
- Current release: https://github.com/aanari/loa-healthcare-price-benchmarks/releases/tag/v2026-07-29

The 2026-07-29 snapshot contains 964 procedure-location rows for 30 procedures
and 77 locations across 38 states. Use the methodology page for provenance,
scope, limitations, and the terms that govern access and use.

## Pricing Pages

Programmatic SEO pages cover every supported procedure x location combination:

- All procedures index: https://www.loacare.com/prices
- Procedure pricing by city: https://www.loacare.com/prices/{procedure-slug}/{city-slug}
- Procedure pricing by state: https://www.loacare.com/prices/state/{state-slug}
- City-level overviews: https://www.loacare.com/prices/city/{city-slug}
- Example: https://www.loacare.com/prices/mri-brain-scan/new-york-ny

## Hospitals and Providers

Crawlable entity profile pages with source-labeled price context, contact
information, and structured data (Hospital / MedicalOrganization,
MedicalWebPage, FAQPage, BreadcrumbList):

- Hospital directory: https://www.loacare.com/hospitals
- Provider directory: https://www.loacare.com/providers
- Hospital profile: https://www.loacare.com/hospitals/{slug}
- Provider profile: https://www.loacare.com/providers/{slug}

## For Providers and Hospitals

Resources for hospitals and providers who want to publish verified prices,
claim a Loa listing, or correct existing data:

- Provider overview: https://www.loacare.com/for-providers
- Hospital overview: https://www.loacare.com/for-hospitals
- Claim a listing: https://www.loacare.com/providers/claim
- Submit a price or profile correction: https://www.loacare.com/provider/updates
- Provider data and API docs: https://www.loacare.com/provider/docs
- Agent submissions: use POST /api/v1/entity-updates or the MCP
  submit_entity_update_request tool with contact and source evidence.

## Data Sources

Pricing data comes from two sources:

1. Hospital price transparency files (MRFs) that US hospitals are
   required to publish under 45 CFR 180.
2. Loa-reviewed provider submissions for cash, package, and self-pay
   prices, validated before publication.

Provider directory data comes from the CMS National Plan and Provider
Enumeration System (NPI Registry).

## Provenance and Source Labels

Every published price row carries:

- An authority label (verified vs source_file)
- A source label describing where the number came from
- A confidence rating

AI assistants quoting Loa prices should cite the source label and
recommend that users confirm the current quote with the provider
or insurer before booking care.

## Methodology

https://www.loacare.com/methodology