CMS Price Transparency Data

CT scan, head (with contrast)

Facility: Children's Hospital Colorado

Billing Code: 70460 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$346

about 1.9× the $179 Medicare rate · typically $140–$1,075

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$1,122

Well above the fair price

about $776 over the fair price · 6.3× Medicare

Medicare pays $179 Fair price $346 This hospital $1,122 Cash price $1,812 Hospital's list price $2,787

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other CO hospitals

Highest price of the 9 CO hospitals we have prices for — worth calling around.

Cheapest $53 Priciest $1,122

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

A fair price for a CT scan, head (with contrast) is about $346 (about 1.9× the $179 Medicare rate). Children's Hospital Colorado charges insurers about $1,122, or about $1,812 in cash — well above the fair price. Located in Aurora, CO.

This price is above the fair BaseRate — you may be able to pay less

Ask the hospital for the cash / self-pay price, check whether you qualify for financial assistance, or negotiate the bill down toward the fair price of about $346. Many patients pay well below the first number they’re quoted — the checklists below walk you through it.

What each insurance company pays

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

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

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna✓ Humana✓ Kaiser 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	$1,289 - $1,386	719%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$1,093 - $2,090	610%
Aetnamajor	$572 - $2,035	319%
Cignamajor	$1,893	1056%
Humanamajor	$1,700 - $1,951	949%
Kaiser Permanentemajor	$688 - $2,035	384%
Molina	$1,533	855%
Presbyterian	$1,338 - $1,589	747%
SelectHealth	$1,951	1089%
+ 18 smaller / regional plans	$74 - $2,508

Excludes 6 rental-network / third-party entries (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 1,812), 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: 70460.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Children's Hospital Colorado is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 70460.
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 Children's Hospital Colorado

Compare: CT scan, head (with contrast) at other CO hospitals

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