CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (with and without contrast)

Facility: Boston Children's Hospital

Billing Code: 70553 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$1,040

about 2.9× the $356 Medicare rate · typically $421–$2,048

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$1,995

Well above the fair price

about $955 over the fair price · 5.6× Medicare

Medicare pays $356 Fair price $1,040 This hospital $1,995 Cash price $7,690 Hospital's list price $7,690

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 $381 Priciest $1,995

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

⚠ The cash price looks unusually high next to the insurance price — it may be the full list price, not a real cash discount. Call to confirm the self-pay rate.

A fair price for a MRI, brain (with and without contrast) is about $1,040 (about 2.9× the $356 Medicare rate). Boston Children's Hospital charges insurers about $1,995, or about $7,690 in cash — well 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 $1,040. 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	$4,599 - $6,536	1290%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$2,306 - $5,077	647%
Aetnamajor	$4,614 - $6,447	1295%
Cignamajor	$6,536 - $6,939	1834%
Humanamajor	$6,921	1942%
Ambetter (Centene)	$4,860	1364%
CDPHP	$3,768 - $6,536	1057%
Harvard Pilgrim	$3,908 - $5,196	1096%
Tufts Health Plan	$4,724 - $4,735	1325%
UniCare	$1,684	472%
+ 8 smaller / regional plans	$4,676 - $6,921

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 7,690), 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 Boston Children's 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 Boston Children's Hospital

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

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