CT scan, head (with contrast)
Facility: Medstar Georgetown University Hospital
Billing Code: 70460 (CPT)
This hospital's typical commercial price is $693 compared to the $387 fair price benchmark.
3-Star CMS clinical quality rating paired with 1.79× fair market pricing.
A typical price — 1 charge more and 2 charge less, among the 5 DC hospitals compared.
Black dot = this hospital, among the 5 DC 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 contrast) is about $387 (about 2.2× the $179 Medicare rate). Medstar Georgetown University Hospital charges insurers about $693, or about $2,186 in cash — well above the fair price. Located in Washington, DC.
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 $387. 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.
5 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 | $207 - $1,177 | 116% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor | $207 - $1,118 | 116% |
| Aetnamajor | $213 - $937 | 119% |
| Cignamajor | $1,012 | 565% |
| Humanamajor | $218 | 122% |
| Amerigroup | $693 | 387% |
| AmeriHealth | $693 | 387% |
| + 2 smaller / regional plans | $218 - $942 |
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 Medstar Georgetown University Hospital
Compare: CT scan, head (with contrast) at other DC hospitals
- Medstar Health Physical Therapy · Washington $193
- Sibley Memorial Hospital · Washington $218
- Medstar Washington Hospital Center · Washington $693
- George Washington Univ Hospital · Washington $1,282
Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.
Audit a Bill or Quote at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital (Zero PHI Required)
Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $1,221
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 = $1,221).
Self-Pay Cash Rate ($2,186) Beats Your Bill
Medstar Georgetown University Hospital's published 45 CFR § 180 self-pay cash rate is $2,186 (vs. $693 commercial insurer median). Ask billing to reclassify the visit to prompt-pay self-pay if it beats your deductible.
Negotiate Toward $387 Fair BaseRate ($179 Medicare)
Your bill ($3,364) is $2,977 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($387) and 18.8× 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.