CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (with and without contrast)

Facility: Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital

Billing Code: 70553 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$375

about 1.1× the $356 Medicare rate · typically $328–$628

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$327

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $48 under the fair price · 0.9× Medicare

Medicare pays $356 Fair price $375 This hospital $327 Cash price $392 Hospital's list price $2,547

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other LA hospitals

On the higher side — 6 of 8 other LA hospitals charge less.

Cheapest $183 Priciest $350

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

A fair price for a MRI, brain (with and without contrast) is about $375 (about 1.1× the $356 Medicare rate). Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital charges insurers about $327, or about $392 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Slidell, LA.

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	$327 - $474	92%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$317 - $391	89%
Aetnamajor	$327 - $654	92%
Cignamajor	$800	224%
Humanamajor	$327 - $493	92%
AmeriHealth	$388	109%
WellCare	$327	92%
+ 9 smaller / regional plans	$327 - $2,292

Government programs also on file: Military & VA.

Excludes 3 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 392), 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 Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital 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 Our Lady of the Lake Surgical Hospital

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

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