CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (with and without contrast)

Facility: Stone County Medical Center

Billing Code: 70553 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$532

about 1.5× the $356 Medicare rate · typically $291–$1,114

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$283

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $249 under the fair price · 0.8× Medicare

Medicare pays $356 Fair price $532 This hospital $283 Cash price $810 Hospital's list price $1,080

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other AR hospitals

A typical price — 5 charge more and 3 charge less, among the 9 AR hospitals compared.

Cheapest $202 Priciest $342

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 AR hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

A fair price for a MRI, brain (with and without contrast) is about $532 (about 1.5× the $356 Medicare rate). Stone County Medical Center charges insurers about $283, or about $810 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Mountain View, AR.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

4 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna HumanaKaiser Permanente

Crossed out = this hospital hasn’t published a negotiated price for that insurer for this procedure. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t accepted — ask your insurer.

Insurance company	Price range	vs. Medicare
UnitedHealthcaremajor	$292	82%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$198 - $367	56%
Aetnamajor	$292 - $950	82%
Cignamajor	$302	85%
Ambetter (Centene)	$394	111%
CareSource	$100	28%
WellCare	$307	86%
+ 7 smaller / regional plans	$292 - $605

Government programs also on file: Medicare.

Excludes 1 rental-network / third-party entry (e.g. Multiplan, PHCS) — these are pricing networks, not insurers.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Tell the billing desk you want to be billed as self-pay — not through insurance — before your visit.
Ask for the cash / prompt-pay discount in writing, with the exact price (about 810), before you agree to anything.
Get it in writing that they won’t also bill your insurance, so the cash price is what you owe.
Check the CPT code on your bill matches exactly: 70553.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Stone County Medical Center is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 70553.
Confirm the doctor or provider is in-network too — not just the hospital building.
Check your Explanation of Benefits against the hospital’s final itemized bill.

Estimate your out-of-pocket cost

A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.

How you’d pay

Deductible left to meet ($)

Your coinsurance (%)

Enter your details and press estimate to compare.

Other Procedures at Stone County Medical Center

Compare: MRI, brain (with and without contrast) at other AR hospitals

Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.