CT scan, head (with and without contrast)
Facility: Cheyenne County Hospital
Billing Code: 70470 (CPT)
- CPT Billing Code: 70470
- Insurance Median: $779
- Cash Discount Price: $697
- vs. Medicare Baseline: 4.35x Medicare
Average discount available for prompt cash payment at this facility.
Median negotiated contract rate across all mapped commercial carriers.
Standard federal government reimbursement rate for this code.
Visual Cost Comparison vs. Medicare
Understanding this gauge: We use the federal Medicare rate of $179.2 as the cost baseline. Rates below the baseline represent excellent value. In-network commercial rates commonly hover around 150% - 250% of Medicare, while rates exceeding 300% are elevated. Hover over the green and blue markers to view detailed calculations.
Elevated Commercial Rate Alert (Value-Gap)
The negotiated rate at this facility is 435% of the Medicare baseline (a markup of 335%). Patients with high-deductible plans or out-of-network benefits may face excessive out-of-pocket costs.
Out-of-Pocket Cost Estimator
Estimate whether it is more economical to use your insurance or pay the upfront self-pay cash rate.
Commercial Insurance Negotiated Rates
Negotiated contract ranges established by major commercial carriers at this facility.
| Carrier / Plan Group | Contract Rate Range | vs. Medicare Reference |
|---|---|---|
| UnitedHealthcare | $359 - $820 | 200% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield | $453 | 253% |
| First Health - All Plans | $574 | 320% |
| Healthy Blue Mcr Adv | $590 | 329% |
| Tricare | $590 | 329% |
| Aetna | $590 - $779 | 329% |
| Choice Care - All Plans | $596 | 333% |
| Firstguard - All Plans | $656 | 366% |
| Wppa - All Plans | $738 | 412% |
| Preferred Hc - All Plans | $779 | 435% |
| Cpm - All Plans | $779 | 435% |
| Midlands Choice - All Plans | $795 | 444% |
| Health Partners - All Plans | $804 | 449% |
| Integrated Hp - All Plans | $804 | 449% |
| Ppo Next - All Plans | $804 | 449% |
| Unicare - All Plans | $804 | 449% |
| Healthwave Mcaid - All Plans | $820 | 458% |
| Healthy Blue Mcaid - All Other Plans | $820 | 458% |
| Childrens Mercy - All Plans | $820 | 458% |
| Providers Care-All Plans | $1,230 | 686% |
Consumer Guidance & Cost Commentary
For the CPT code 70470 (CT scan, head with and without contrast), Cheyenne County Hospital lists a gross charge of $820.00, which is the highest amount billed across all payers. While the facility's cash median price is $697.00, commercial insurance negotiated rates range from $359 to $1,230, with a median negotiated rate of $779.00. It is important to note that for patients with high-deductible plans, paying the cash price of $697.00 upfront may result in lower out-of-pocket costs compared to the insurance negotiated rate, especially if the patient has not yet met their deductible. Additionally, patients should inquire directly with the hospital about "self-pay" or "prompt-pay" discounts, which can further reduce the final bill by bypassing administrative fees associated with insurance claims.
The Medicare benchmark for this procedure is $179.20, serving as the objective baseline for evaluating pricing markups. The facility's cash median of $697.00 represents approximately 3.9 times the Medicare rate, while the median negotiated rate of $779.00 is roughly 4.3 times the Medicare amount. This significant markup is typical for commercial pricing structures, where rates often average 200% to 300% of the Medicare baseline due to administrative overhead and contract dynamics. To ensure you are receiving fair pricing, we recommend requesting an itemized billing audit to verify that no unbundled codes or services not rendered are included in the final statement, as over 80% of hospital bills contain errors that can