CMS Price Transparency Data

CT scan, head (with and without contrast)

Facility: Shriners Hospitals for Children

Billing Code: 70470 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$272

about 1.5× the $179 Medicare rate · typically $171–$534

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$244

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $28 under the fair price · 1.4× Medicare

Medicare pays $179 Fair price $272 This hospital $244 Cash price $1,761 Hospital's list price $1,761

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 $59 Priciest $244

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 and without contrast) is about $272 (about 1.5× the $179 Medicare rate). Shriners Hospitals for Children charges insurers about $244, or about $1,761 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Galveston, 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✓ Cigna HumanaKaiser 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	$182	102%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$191 - $350	107%
Aetnamajor	$244	136%
Cignamajor	$306	171%
Ambetter (Centene)	$251	140%
+ 2 smaller / regional plans	$247 - $445

Government programs also on file: Medicaid.

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 1,761), 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: 70470.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Shriners Hospitals for Children is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 70470.
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 Shriners Hospitals for Children

Compare: CT scan, head (with and without contrast) at other TX hospitals

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