MRI, brain (no contrast)
Facility: Satanta District Hospital, Clinics, & Ltcu
Billing Code: 70551 (CPT)
- CPT Billing Code: 70551
- Insurance Median: $623
- Cash Discount Price: $779
- vs. Medicare Baseline: 2.56x 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 $243.77 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 256% of the Medicare baseline (a markup of 156%). 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Benefit-All Plans | $208 | 85% |
| UnitedHealthcare | $251 - $865 | 103% |
| Berkley Net-All Plans | $346 | 142% |
| Trustmark Health Benefits-All Plans | $381 | 156% |
| Aetna | $381 - $588 | 156% |
| Meritain Health-All Plans | $389 | 160% |
| Ambetter / Centene | $415 | 170% |
| Axa Equitable - All Plans | $476 | 195% |
| Pinnacol-All Plans | $484 | 199% |
| Medi-Share-All Plans | $493 | 202% |
| Presbyterian-All Plans | $528 | 217% |
| Kasb Work Comp - All Plans | $554 | 227% |
| The Kempton Group Admin-All Plans | $597 | 245% |
| Gpha(Wppa)-All Other Plans | $606 | 249% |
| Auxiant - All Plans | $606 | 249% |
| Wppa- All Plans | $614 | 252% |
| Providers Care Network- All Plans | $623 | 256% |
| Sisco-All Plans | $623 | 256% |
| Emc-All Plans | $623 | 256% |
| Gpha Employee Benefit Plan | $631 | 259% |
| Employee Benefit-All Plans | $649 | 266% |
| Regional Care(Wppa)-All Plans | $649 | 266% |
| Triangle-All Plans | $657 | 270% |
| First Health -All Plans | $657 | 270% |
| One Call Physician-All Plans | $666 | 273% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield | $683 | 280% |
| Christian Hospital Aid - All Plans | $692 | 284% |
| Tricare | $692 | 284% |
| Humana | $744 | 305% |
| Luminare Health- All Plans | $761 | 312% |
| Cigna | $761 | 312% |
| Coresource-All Plans | $778 | 319% |
| Deseret Mutual(Uhis)-All Plans | $778 | 319% |
| Vaccn-All Plans | $796 | 327% |
| Hma Llc-All Plans | $822 | 337% |
| Wps Vapc-All Plans | $822 | 337% |
| Reserve National-All Plans | $822 | 337% |
| Medicaid / KanCare | $865 | 355% |
Consumer Guidance & Cost Commentary
For this MRI of the brain (no contrast) at Satanta District Hospital, the cash price is $779, which is lower than the facility's gross charge of $865. While the facility is a Critical Access Hospital in Kansas, the data does not provide specific county or state average figures for comparison. However, the cash rate of $779 is notably higher than the median negotiated rate of $623 paid by insurance plans, suggesting that patients with high-deductible plans might save money by paying cash directly rather than relying on insurance, provided they have the funds available. Since the facility is owned by a Government Hospital District, patients should explicitly ask about self-pay or prompt-pay discounts before scheduling, as these upfront payment incentives can reduce the final bill by bypassing the administrative costs associated with insurance claims processing.
The Medicare benchmark for this procedure is $243.77, which serves as a reliable baseline for evaluating pricing fairness. The facility's cash rate of $779 represents a significant markup compared to the Medicare amount, a common occurrence in commercial billing where negotiated rates often range from 200% to 300% of the Medicare rate due to administrative overhead and contract dynamics. If you are using insurance, the allowed amount varies widely among payers, ranging from $208 for Direct Benefit-All Plans up to $865 for Medicaid/KanCare, with a median negotiated rate of $623 across 38 different plans. To ensure you are receiving the best possible price, it is crucial to request an itemized bill before payment to verify that no unbundled codes or services not rendered are included, as over 80% of