CMS Price Transparency Data

CT scan, head (with and without contrast)

Facility: Boston Children's Hospital

Billing Code: 70470 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$592

about 3.3× the $179 Medicare rate · typically $226–$1,131

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$1,033

Above the fair price

about $441 over the fair price · 5.8× Medicare

Medicare pays $179 Fair price $592 This hospital $1,033 Cash price $2,743 Hospital's list price $2,743

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other MA hospitals

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

Cheapest $192 Priciest $1,033

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

A fair price for a CT scan, head (with and without contrast) is about $592 (about 3.3× the $179 Medicare rate). Boston Children's Hospital charges insurers about $1,033, or about $2,743 in cash — above the fair price. Located in Boston, MA.

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 $592. 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	$1,641 - $2,332	916%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$1,547 - $1,811	863%
Aetnamajor	$1,646 - $2,299	919%
Cignamajor	$2,332 - $2,475	1301%
Humanamajor	$2,469	1378%
Ambetter (Centene)	$1,734	968%
CDPHP	$1,344 - $2,332	750%
Harvard Pilgrim	$1,394 - $1,853	778%
Tufts Health Plan	$1,685 - $1,689	940%
UniCare	$1,033	576%
+ 8 smaller / regional plans	$1,668 - $2,469

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 2,743), 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: 70470.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Boston Children's Hospital is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 70470.
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 Boston Children's Hospital

Compare: CT scan, head (with and without contrast) at other MA hospitals

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