CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (no contrast)

Facility: Astera Health

Billing Code: 70551 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$176

about 0.7× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $157–$547

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$151

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $25 under the fair price · 0.6× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $176 This hospital $151 Cash price $1,017 Hospital's list price $1,462

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other MN hospitals

A typical price — 4 charge more and 4 charge less, among the 9 MN hospitals compared.

Cheapest $78 Priciest $210

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 MN 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 $176 (about 0.7× the $244 Medicare rate). Astera Health charges insurers about $151, or about $1,017 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Wadena, MN.

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	$258 - $2,109	106%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$74 - $5,128	30%
Aetnamajor	$176 - $2,455	72%
HealthPartners	$74 - $5,128	30%
Medica	$74 - $212,490	30%
Sanford Health Plan	$101 - $2,319	41%
UCare	$74 - $5,385	30%
+ 3 smaller / regional plans	$38 - $5,128

Excludes 1 rental-network / third-party entry (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 1,017), 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 Astera Health 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 Astera Health

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

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