CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (with and without contrast)

Facility: St Joseph's University Medical Center Inc

Billing Code: 70553 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$502

about 1.4× the $356 Medicare rate · typically $319–$579

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$360

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $142 under the fair price · 1.0× Medicare

Medicare pays $356 Fair price $502 This hospital $360 Cash price $5,662 Hospital's list price $5,662

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NJ hospitals

Lowest price of the 9 NJ hospitals we have prices for — a strong deal.

Cheapest $360 Priciest $437

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 NJ 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 $502 (about 1.4× the $356 Medicare rate). St Joseph's University Medical Center Inc charges insurers about $360, or about $5,662 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Paterson, NJ.

What each insurance company pays

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

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

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna HumanaKaiser 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	$86 - $1,006	24%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$114 - $1,349	32%
Aetnamajor	$114 - $2,112	32%
Cignamajor	$5,662	1589%
Ambetter (Centene)	$114 - $622	32%
AmeriHealth	$114 - $3,605	32%
Clover Health	$114 - $414	32%
Fidelis Care	$86 - $1,133	24%
Health Net	$721 - $5,096	202%
MagnaCare	$3,963	1112%
Oscar Health	$5,334	1497%
+ 4 smaller / regional plans	$114 - $887

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 5,662), 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 St Joseph's University Medical Center Inc 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 St Joseph's University Medical Center Inc

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

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