CMS Price Transparency Data

CT scan, head (with contrast)

Facility: Childrens Hospital

Billing Code: 70460 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$467

about 2.6× the $179 Medicare rate · typically $143–$589

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$637

Above the fair price

about $170 over the fair price · 3.6× Medicare

Medicare pays $179 Fair price $467 This hospital $637 Cash price $906 Hospital's list price $3,354

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other LA hospitals

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

Cheapest $90 Priciest $637

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

A fair price for a CT scan, head (with contrast) is about $467 (about 2.6× the $179 Medicare rate). Childrens Hospital charges insurers about $637, or about $906 in cash — above the fair price. Located in New Orleans, LA.

This price is above the fair BaseRate — you may be able to pay less

Ask the hospital for the cash / self-pay price, check whether you qualify for financial assistance, or negotiate the bill down toward the fair price of about $467. Many patients pay well below the first number they’re quoted — the checklists below walk you through it.

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	$346 - $1,958	193%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$296 - $1,520	165%
Aetnamajor	$1,382 - $1,931	771%
Cignamajor	$1,958 - $2,078	1093%
Humanamajor	$2,073	1157%
Ambetter (Centene)	$98 - $1,456	55%
CDPHP	$1,128 - $1,958	629%
Harvard Pilgrim	$1,170 - $1,556	653%
Tufts Health Plan	$1,415 - $1,418	790%
UniCare	$872	487%
+ 8 smaller / regional plans	$1,400 - $2,073

Excludes 2 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 906), 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: 70460.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Childrens Hospital is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 70460.
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 Childrens Hospital

Compare: CT scan, head (with contrast) at other LA hospitals

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