CT scan, head (with and without contrast)
Facility: Sisters of Charity Hospital
Billing Code: 70470 (CPT)
This hospital's typical commercial price is $139 compared to the $140 fair price benchmark.
3-Star CMS clinical quality rating paired with 0.99× fair market pricing.
On the higher side — 6 of 8 other NY hospitals charge less.
Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 NY hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.
A fair price for a CT scan, head (with and without contrast) is about $140 (about 0.8× the $179 Medicare rate). Sisters of Charity Hospital charges insurers about $139, or about $357 in cash — about the fair price. 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
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 | $41 - $268 | 23% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor | $53 - $493 | 30% |
| Aetnamajor | $61 - $179 | 34% |
| Cignamajor | $58 - $247 | 32% |
| Humanamajor | $61 - $179 | 34% |
| Amerigroup | $92 - $267 | 51% |
| Fidelis Care | $61 - $493 | 34% |
| Independent Health | $53 - $475 | 30% |
| Molina | $120 - $493 | 67% |
| MVP Health Care | $79 - $232 | 44% |
| UPMC Health Plan | $105 - $306 | 59% |
| WellCare | $61 - $187 | 34% |
| + 16 smaller / regional plans | $51 - $619 |
Self-Pay How to get the cash price
Insurance Before you use insurance
Estimate your out-of-pocket cost
A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.
Other Procedures at Sisters of Charity Hospital
Compare: CT scan, head (with and without contrast) at other NY hospitals
- The University of Vermont Health Network-Alice Hy · Malone $61
- Columbia Memorial Hospital · Hudson $67
- The University of Vermont Health Network - Champl · Plattsburgh $72
- Albany Medical Center Hospital · Albany $92
- Bassett Healthcare · Cooperstown $93
- St Barnabas Hospital · Bronx $136
- Bertrand Chaffee Hospital · Springville $139
- Brooks-Tlc Hospital System, Inc · Dunkirk $146
Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.
Audit a Bill or Quote at Sisters of Charity Hospital (Zero PHI Required)
Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $256
At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (36.3% of gross = $256).
Self-Pay Cash Rate ($357) Beats Your Bill
Sisters of Charity Hospital's published 45 CFR § 180 self-pay cash rate is $357 (vs. $139 commercial insurer median). Ask billing to reclassify the visit to prompt-pay self-pay if it beats your deductible.
Negotiate Toward $140 Fair BaseRate ($179 Medicare)
Your bill ($706) is $566 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($140) and 3.9× the $179 Medicare rate.
Clinical Quality, Patient Experience & Infection Benchmarks
Source: CMS Hospital Care Compare. Clinical quality metrics summarize historical facility-wide cohorts and are not medical advice for individual care decisions.
How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings
Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings
Safe-Harbor Data Corrections: Parsed directly from public 45 CFR § 180 hospital filings, CMS Care Compare, and CMS HCRIS cost reports. Hospital compliance officers may submit updated MRF URLs or rate tables for verification.