CMS Price Transparency Data

CT scan, head (with contrast)

Facility: Tops Surgical Specialty Hospital

Billing Code: 70460 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$222

about 1.2× the $179 Medicare rate · typically $168–$410

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$242

About the fair price

about $20 over the fair price · 1.4× Medicare

Medicare pays $179 Fair price $222 This hospital $242 Cash price $1,108 Hospital's list price $3,165

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other TX hospitals

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

Cheapest $53 Priciest $242

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 TX 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 CT scan, head (with contrast) is about $222 (about 1.2× the $179 Medicare rate). Tops Surgical Specialty Hospital charges insurers about $242, or about $1,108 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Houston, TX.

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	$153 - $241	85%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$242 - $465	135%
Aetnamajor	$807 - $1,404	450%
Humanamajor	$241 - $321	134%
Ambetter (Centene)	$133 - $4,848	74%
Health Net	$116 - $158	65%
Oscar Health	$116	65%

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 1,108), 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: 70460.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Tops Surgical Specialty Hospital is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 70460.
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 Tops Surgical Specialty Hospital

Compare: CT scan, head (with contrast) at other TX hospitals

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