CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (with and without contrast)

Facility: Kenmore Mercy Hospital

Billing Code: 70553 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$248

about 0.7× the $356 Medicare rate · typically $181–$332

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$266

About the fair price

about $18 over the fair price · 0.7× Medicare

Medicare pays $356 Fair price $248 This hospital $266 Cash price $711 Hospital's list price $2,019

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NY hospitals

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

Cheapest $115 Priciest $266

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

A fair price for a MRI, brain (with and without contrast) is about $248 (about 0.7× the $356 Medicare rate). Kenmore Mercy Hospital charges insurers about $266, or about $711 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Kenmore, 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	$73 - $618	20%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$84 - $1,136	24%
Aetnamajor	$110 - $329	31%
Cignamajor	$104 - $454	29%
Humanamajor	$110 - $329	31%
Amerigroup	$166 - $525	47%
Fidelis Care	$110 - $1,136	31%
Independent Health	$95 - $943	27%
Molina	$214 - $1,158	60%
MVP Health Care	$142 - $442	40%
UPMC Health Plan	$188 - $563	53%
WellCare	$110 - $344	31%
+ 16 smaller / regional plans	$91 - $1,068

Government programs also on file: Medicare, Medicaid, Military & VA.

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 711), 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 Kenmore Mercy Hospital 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 Kenmore Mercy Hospital

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

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