CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (with and without contrast)

Facility: Saint Joseph Mount Sterling

Billing Code: 70553 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$803

about 2.3× the $356 Medicare rate · typically $394–$979

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$700

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $103 under the fair price · 2.0× Medicare

Medicare pays $356 Fair price $803 This hospital $700 Cash price $1,093 Hospital's list price $2,982

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other KY hospitals

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

Cheapest $100 Priciest $700

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

A fair price for a MRI, brain (with and without contrast) is about $803 (about 2.3× the $356 Medicare rate). Saint Joseph Mount Sterling charges insurers about $700, or about $1,093 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Mount Sterling, KY.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

4 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Humana CignaKaiser 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	$343 - $1,242	96%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$336 - $1,116	94%
Aetnamajor	$346 - $1,998	97%
Humanamajor	$336 - $1,282	94%
CareSource	$672	189%
Molina	$353 - $700	99%
WellCare	$336 - $624	94%

Excludes 1 rental-network / third-party entry (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 1,093), 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 Mount Sterling 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 Mount Sterling

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

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