CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, brain (with and without contrast)

Facility: Baylor Scott & White Medical Center- Austin

Billing Code: 70553 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$484

about 1.4× the $356 Medicare rate · typically $361–$1,196

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$1,497

Well above the fair price

about $1,013 over the fair price · 4.2× Medicare

Medicare pays $356 Fair price $484 This hospital $1,497 Cash price $3,675 Hospital's list price $6,126

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 $107 Priciest $1,497

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 (with and without contrast) is about $484 (about 1.4× the $356 Medicare rate). Baylor Scott & White Medical Center- Austin charges insurers about $1,497, or about $3,675 in cash — well above the fair price. Located in Austin, TX.

This price is above the fair BaseRate — you may be able to pay less

Ask the hospital for the cash / self-pay price, check whether you qualify for financial assistance, or negotiate the bill down toward the fair price of about $484. Many patients pay well below the first number they’re quoted — the checklists below walk you through it.

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	$396 - $2,400	111%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$1,497 - $1,825	420%
Aetnamajor	$3,369	945%
Cignamajor	$1,711 - $2,013	480%
Humanamajor	$344 - $4,288	97%
Baylor Scott & White	$327 - $1,855	92%
Cigna HealthSpring	$361	101%
+ 7 smaller / regional plans	$361 - $4,594

Government programs also on file: Medicaid, Military & VA.

Excludes 1 rental-network / third-party entry (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 3,675), 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 Baylor Scott & White Medical Center- Austin 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 Baylor Scott & White Medical Center- Austin

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

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