CT scan, head (with and without contrast)
Facility: William W Backus Hospital
Billing Code: 70470 (CPT)
This hospital's typical commercial price is $294 compared to the $242 fair price benchmark.
4-Star CMS clinical quality rating paired with 1.21× fair market pricing.
On the higher side — 6 of 8 other CT hospitals charge less.
Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 CT hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.
Note: The cash price looks unusually high next to the insurance price — it may be the full list price, not a real cash discount. Call to confirm the self-pay rate.
A fair price for a CT scan, head (with and without contrast) is about $242 (about 1.4× the $179 Medicare rate). William W Backus Hospital charges insurers about $294, or about $1,239 in cash — above the fair price. Located in Norwich, CT.
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 $242. 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.
4 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital
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 | $72 - $280 | 40% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor | $72 - $462 | 40% |
| Aetnamajor | $73 - $491 | 41% |
| Cignamajor | $308 | 172% |
| Molina | $72 - $518 | 40% |
| Tufts Health Plan | $72 | 40% |
| WellCare | $73 | 41% |
| + 1 smaller / regional plan | $72 |
Self-Pay How to get the cash price
Insurance Before you use insurance
Estimate your out-of-pocket cost
A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.
Other Procedures at William W Backus Hospital
Compare: CT scan, head (with and without contrast) at other CT hospitals
- Gaylord Hospital · Wallingford $179
- The Hospital of Central Connecticut · New Britain $191
- Bristol Hospital · Bristol $221
- Charlotte Hungerford Hospital · Torrington $226
- Hartford Hospital · Hartford $261
- Griffin Hospital · Derby $289
- John Dempsey Hospital of the University of Connect · Farmington $321
- Saint Mary's Hospital · Waterbury $431
Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.
Audit a Bill or Quote at William W Backus Hospital (Zero PHI Required)
Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $450
At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (36.3% of gross = $450).
Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible
William W Backus Hospital's published 45 CFR § 180 self-pay cash rate is $1,239 (vs. $294 commercial insurer median). Ask billing to reclassify the visit to prompt-pay self-pay if it beats your deductible.
Negotiate Toward $242 Fair BaseRate ($179 Medicare)
Your bill ($1,239) is $997 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($242) and 6.9× the $179 Medicare rate.
Clinical Quality, Patient Experience & Infection Benchmarks
Source: CMS Hospital Care Compare. Clinical quality metrics summarize historical facility-wide cohorts and are not medical advice for individual care decisions.
How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings
Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings
Safe-Harbor Data Corrections: Parsed directly from public 45 CFR § 180 hospital filings, CMS Care Compare, and CMS HCRIS cost reports. Hospital compliance officers may submit updated MRF URLs or rate tables for verification.