CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (with and without contrast)

Facility: Saint Joseph Medical Center

Billing Code: 70553 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$389

about 1.1× the $356 Medicare rate · typically $383–$635

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$383

About the fair price

about $6 under the fair price · 1.1× Medicare

Medicare pays $356 Fair price $389 This hospital $383 Cash price $372 Hospital's list price $9,446

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other IL hospitals

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

Cheapest $191 Priciest $383

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

A fair price for a MRI, brain (with and without contrast) is about $389 (about 1.1× the $356 Medicare rate). Saint Joseph Medical Center charges insurers about $383, or about $372 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Joliet, IL.

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✓ 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	$372 - $823	104%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$353 - $521	99%
Aetnamajor	$353 - $2,837	99%
Cignamajor	$372 - $1,200	104%
Humanamajor	$353 - $409	99%
Ambetter (Centene)	$603	169%
Devoted Health	$372	104%
Health Net	$446	125%
HealthPartners	$372 - $428	104%
Meridian	$371 - $391	104%
Molina	$371 - $558	104%
WellCare	$372	104%
+ 10 smaller / regional plans	$218 - $2,070

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

Excludes 4 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 372), 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 Saint Joseph 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 Saint Joseph Medical Center

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

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