CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (no contrast)

Facility: Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley

Billing Code: 70551 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$241

about 1.0× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $128–$608

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$134

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $107 under the fair price · 0.5× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $241 This hospital $134 Cash price $321 Hospital's list price $1,188

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other CA hospitals

A typical price — 2 charge more and 5 charge less, among the 9 CA hospitals compared.

Cheapest $59 Priciest $181

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

A fair price for a MRI, brain (no contrast) is about $241 (about 1.0× the $244 Medicare rate). Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley charges insurers about $134, or about $321 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Tehachapi, CA.

What each insurance company pays

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

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

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna✓ Kaiser Permanente Humana

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	$69 - $603	28%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$127 - $710	52%
Aetnamajor	$83 - $1,653	34%
Cignamajor	$39 - $961	16%
Kaiser Permanentemajor	$388 - $402	159%
Health Net	$69 - $947	28%
Oscar Health	$80 - $390	33%
+ 9 smaller / regional plans	$69 - $652

Government programs also on file: Medicare, Medicaid, Military & VA.

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 321), 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: 70551.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 70551.
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 Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley

Compare: MRI, brain (no contrast) at other CA hospitals

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