CMS Price Transparency Data

CT scan, head (with contrast)

Facility: Catawba Valley Medical Center

Billing Code: 70460 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$482

about 2.7× the $179 Medicare rate · typically $227–$1,507

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$1,510

Well above the fair price

about $1,028 over the fair price · 8.4× Medicare

Medicare pays $179 Fair price $482 This hospital $1,510 Cash price $1,856 Hospital's list price $3,094

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NC hospitals

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

Cheapest $138 Priciest $1,510

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

A fair price for a CT scan, head (with contrast) is about $482 (about 2.7× the $179 Medicare rate). Catawba Valley Medical Center charges insurers about $1,510, or about $1,856 in cash — well above the fair price. Located in Hickory, NC.

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 $482. 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	$249 - $2,331	139%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$179 - $1,510	100%
Aetnamajor	$1,884	1051%
Cignamajor	$170 - $1,702	95%
Humanamajor	$174 - $2,475	97%
CareSource	$383	214%
Devoted Health	$179	100%
WellCare	$175	98%
+ 6 smaller / regional plans	$179 - $450

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 1,856), 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: 70460.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Catawba Valley Medical Center is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 70460.
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 Catawba Valley Medical Center

Compare: CT scan, head (with contrast) at other NC hospitals

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