CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (no contrast)

Facility: Kaleida Health

Billing Code: 70551 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$233

about 1.0× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $161–$266

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$115

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $118 under the fair price · 0.5× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $233 This hospital $115 Cash price $765 Hospital's list price $765

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NY hospitals

A typical price — 3 charge more and 5 charge less, among the 9 NY hospitals compared.

Cheapest $73 Priciest $155

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 NY 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 $233 (about 1.0× the $244 Medicare rate). Kaleida Health charges insurers about $115, or about $765 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Buffalo, NY.

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	$26 - $323	11%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$31 - $1,111	13%
Aetnamajor	$48 - $316	20%
Cignamajor	$348 - $423	143%
Humanamajor	$31 - $32	13%
Fidelis Care	$31 - $322	13%
Independent Health	$173 - $554	71%
MagnaCare	$149 - $191	61%
Molina	$37 - $139	15%
MVP Health Care	$76	31%
WellCare	$28 - $310	11%
+ 6 smaller / regional plans	$28 - $1,126

Government programs also on file: Military & VA.

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 765), 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 Kaleida 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 Kaleida Health

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

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