CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (no contrast)

Facility: Bronson Battle Creek Hospital

Billing Code: 70551 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$236

about 1.0× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $228–$245

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$236

About the fair price

1.0× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $236 This hospital $236 Cash price $1,658 Hospital's list price $2,073

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other MI hospitals

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

Cheapest $65 Priciest $236

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 MI 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 (no contrast) is about $236 (about 1.0× the $244 Medicare rate). Bronson Battle Creek Hospital charges insurers about $236, or about $1,658 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Battle Creek, MI.

What each insurance company pays

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

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

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna CignaHumanaKaiser 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	$133 - $1,534	55%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$130 - $236	53%
Aetnamajor	$188 - $1,762	77%
Meridian	$133 - $248	55%
Priority Health	$126 - $1,347	52%
+ 9 smaller / regional plans	$126 - $1,866

Government programs also on file: Medicare.

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 1,658), 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: 70551.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Bronson Battle Creek Hospital is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 70551.
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 Bronson Battle Creek Hospital

Compare: MRI, brain (no contrast) at other MI hospitals

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