CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (no contrast)

Facility: St Francis Medical Center

Billing Code: 70551 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$1,127

about 4.6× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $376–$1,559

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$1,272

About the fair price

about $145 over the fair price · 5.2× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $1,127 This hospital $1,272 Cash price $1,386 Hospital's list price $2,475

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other MN hospitals

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

Cheapest $78 Priciest $1,272

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

A fair price for a MRI, brain (no contrast) is about $1,127 (about 4.6× the $244 Medicare rate). St Francis Medical Center charges insurers about $1,272, or about $1,386 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Breckenridge, MN.

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	$2,330 - $2,878	956%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$258 - $2,358	106%
Aetnamajor	$234 - $1,471	96%
Cignamajor	$696	286%
Humanamajor	$1,456	597%
HealthPartners	$279 - $3,294	114%
Medica	$256 - $3,190	105%
Sanford Health Plan	$3,051	1252%
UCare	$373 - $3,051	153%
+ 3 smaller / regional plans	$234 - $2,475

Government programs also on file: Medicare, Medicaid.

Excludes 3 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 1,386), 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 St Francis Medical Center 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 St Francis Medical Center

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

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