CT scan, head (with and without contrast)
Facility: Erie County Medical Center
Billing Code: 70470 (CPT)
This hospital's typical commercial price is $307 compared to the $261 fair price benchmark.
2-Star CMS clinical quality rating paired with 1.18× fair market pricing.
Highest price of the 9 NY hospitals we have prices for — worth calling around.
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 $261 (about 1.5× the $179 Medicare rate). Erie County Medical Center charges insurers about $307, or about $413 in cash — above the fair price. Located in Buffalo, NY.
This price is above the fair BaseRate — you may be able to pay less
Ask the hospital for the cash / self-pay price, check whether you qualify for financial assistance, or negotiate the bill down toward the fair price of about $261. Many patients pay well below the first number they’re quoted — the checklists below walk you through it.
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
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 | $219 | 122% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor | $209 - $1,013 | 117% |
| Aetnamajor | $226 - $261 | 126% |
| Cignamajor | $547 | 305% |
| Fidelis Care | $223 - $1,013 | 124% |
| Independent Health | $94 - $310 | 52% |
| Molina | $450 - $1,013 | 251% |
| MVP Health Care | $241 - $1,013 | 134% |
| WellCare | $219 | 122% |
| + 1 smaller / regional plan | $178 - $450 |
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 Erie County Medical Center
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
- Sisters of Charity Hospital · Buffalo $139
- Bertrand Chaffee Hospital · Springville $139
Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.
Audit a Bill or Quote at Erie County Medical Center (Zero PHI Required)
Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $439
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 = $439).
Self-Pay Cash Rate ($413) Beats Your Bill
Erie County Medical Center's published 45 CFR § 180 self-pay cash rate is $413 (vs. $307 commercial insurer median). Ask billing to reclassify the visit to prompt-pay self-pay if it beats your deductible.
Negotiate Toward $261 Fair BaseRate ($179 Medicare)
Your bill ($1,210) is $949 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($261) and 6.8× 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.