CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (no contrast)

Facility: El Paso Children's Hospital

Billing Code: 70551 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$225

about 0.9× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $202–$396

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$202

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $23 under the fair price · 0.8× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $225 This hospital $202 Cash price $282 Hospital's list price $1,412

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other TX hospitals

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

Cheapest $69 Priciest $204

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 TX hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

A fair price for a MRI, brain (no contrast) is about $225 (about 0.9× the $244 Medicare rate). El Paso Children's Hospital charges insurers about $202, or about $282 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in El Paso, 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	$1,014	416%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$193 - $1,059	79%
Aetnamajor	$1,017 - $1,130	417%
Cignamajor	$1,108	455%
Amerigroup	$202	83%
Health Net	$187	77%
Molina	$222 - $909	91%
+ 5 smaller / regional plans	$174 - $748

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 282), 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 El Paso Children's Hospital 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 El Paso Children's Hospital

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

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