CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (with and without contrast)

Facility: Sanford Hillsboro

Billing Code: 70553 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$1,117

about 3.1× the $356 Medicare rate · typically $363–$2,521

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$912

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $205 under the fair price · 2.6× Medicare

Medicare pays $356 Fair price $1,117 This hospital $912 Cash price $3,730 Hospital's list price $4,663

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other ND hospitals

On the higher side — 7 of 8 other ND hospitals charge less.

Cheapest $245 Priciest $1,467

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 ND 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 $1,117 (about 3.1× the $356 Medicare rate). Sanford Hillsboro charges insurers about $912, or about $3,730 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Hillsboro, ND.

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	$2,304 - $3,894	646%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$608 - $3,027	171%
Aetnamajor	$2,304 - $4,052	646%
Health Net	$4,197	1178%
HealthPartners	$2,304 - $3,637	646%
Medica	$3,847 - $4,113	1079%
Sanford Health Plan	$2,126 - $4,331	596%
Security Health Plan	$2,565	720%
UCare	$2,285 - $4,097	641%
+ 2 smaller / regional plans	$2,350 - $4,197

Government programs also on file: Medicare.

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 3,730), 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 Sanford Hillsboro 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 Sanford Hillsboro

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

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