CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (with and without contrast)

Facility: The University of Vermont Health Network - Champl

Billing Code: 70553 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$156

about 0.4× the $356 Medicare rate · typically $144–$338

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$147

About the fair price

about $9 under the fair price · 0.4× Medicare

Medicare pays $356 Fair price $156 This hospital $147 Cash price $4,150 Hospital's list price $4,150

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NY hospitals

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

Cheapest $115 Priciest $266

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 (with and without contrast) is about $156 (about 0.4× the $356 Medicare rate). The University of Vermont Health Network - Champl charges insurers about $147, or about $4,150 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Plattsburgh, NY.

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✓ Humana CignaKaiser 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	$72 - $6,139	20%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$53 - $6,356	15%
Aetnamajor	$102 - $7,241	29%
Humanamajor	$102 - $415	29%
Fidelis Care	$102 - $436	29%
Harvard Pilgrim	$203 - $6,437	57%
MagnaCare	$203 - $6,437	57%
MVP Health Care	$138 - $6,404	39%
+ 4 smaller / regional plans	$102 - $6,437

Government programs also on file: Military & VA.

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 4,150), 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 The University of Vermont Health Network - Champl 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 The University of Vermont Health Network - Champl

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

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