CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (no contrast)

Facility: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Billing Code: 70551 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$123

about 0.5× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $97–$592

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$107

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $16 under the fair price · 0.4× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $123 This hospital $107 Cash price $1,169 Hospital's list price $2,292

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other OH hospitals

Lowest price of the 9 OH hospitals we have prices for — a strong deal.

Cheapest $107 Priciest $223

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 OH 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 $123 (about 0.5× the $244 Medicare rate). Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center charges insurers about $107, or about $1,169 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Cincinnati, OH.

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	$50 - $3,785	21%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$46 - $4,152	19%
Aetnamajor	$48 - $4,013	20%
Cignamajor	$290 - $4,013	119%
Humanamajor	$50 - $1,056	21%
AmeriHealth	$110 - $412	45%
CareSource	$49 - $2,028	20%
Medical Mutual	$192 - $4,013	79%
Molina	$112 - $419	46%
WellCare	$50 - $1,111	21%
+ 14 smaller / regional plans	$48 - $4,140

Excludes 3 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 1,169), 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 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center 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 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

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

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