CT scan, head (with contrast)
Facility: Cheyenne County Hospital
Billing Code: 70460 (CPT)
- CPT Billing Code: 70460
- Insurance Median: $755
- Cash Discount Price: $676
- vs. Medicare Baseline: 4.21x 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 421% of the Medicare baseline (a markup of 321%). 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 - $795 | 200% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield | $453 | 253% |
| First Health - All Plans | $556 | 310% |
| Healthy Blue Mcr Adv | $572 | 319% |
| Aetna | $572 - $755 | 319% |
| Tricare | $572 | 319% |
| Choice Care - All Plans | $578 | 323% |
| Firstguard - All Plans | $636 | 355% |
| Wppa - All Plans | $716 | 400% |
| Preferred Hc - All Plans | $755 | 421% |
| Cpm - All Plans | $755 | 421% |
| Midlands Choice - All Plans | $771 | 430% |
| Ppo Next - All Plans | $779 | 435% |
| Health Partners - All Plans | $779 | 435% |
| Unicare - All Plans | $779 | 435% |
| Integrated Hp - All Plans | $779 | 435% |
| Healthy Blue Mcaid - All Other Plans | $795 | 444% |
| Childrens Mercy - All Plans | $795 | 444% |
| Healthwave Mcaid - All Plans | $795 | 444% |
| Providers Care-All Plans | $1,192 | 665% |
Consumer Guidance & Cost Commentary
For this CT scan of the head with contrast at Cheyenne County Hospital, the facility's cash price of $676.00 is lower than the median negotiated rate of $755.00 and the gross charge of $795.00. While the hospital is a Critical Access Hospital in Kansas, the data does not provide specific county or state average benchmarks for this procedure to compare against. However, patients should be aware that paying cash upfront can sometimes result in a lower out-of-pocket cost than using insurance, particularly if their plan has a high deductible or if the insurance negotiated rate exceeds the cash price. To maximize savings, patients should explicitly ask the billing department about "self-pay" or "prompt-pay" discounts before scheduling, as these incentives can reduce the final bill by 20% to 50% when paid in full within a short window.
The Medicare amount for this service is $179.20, which serves as a baseline for evaluating the facility's pricing markup. The median amount paid by insurers was $716.00, while the highest negotiated rate among the 20 payers listed was $1,192.00. Because the No Surprises Act prohibits balance billing for emergency care and non-emergency services at in-network facilities, patients should verify their network status and ensure they do not sign away rights to dispute out-of-network charges. If a patient receives a bill that seems unusually high, they should request a detailed, itemized audit to check for errors, unbundled codes, or services not rendered, as over 80% of hospital bills contain mistakes that can be corrected through formal written disputes.