CMS Price Transparency Data

CT scan, head (with and without contrast)

Facility: Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center

Billing Code: 70470 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$410

about 2.3× the $179 Medicare rate · typically $209–$938

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$352

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $58 under the fair price · 2.0× Medicare

Medicare pays $179 Fair price $410 This hospital $352 Cash price $1,756 Hospital's list price $3,511

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other VA hospitals

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

Cheapest $167 Priciest $352

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 VA 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 $410 (about 2.3× the $179 Medicare rate). Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center charges insurers about $352, or about $1,756 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Woodbridge, VA.

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	$180	100%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$179 - $1,344	100%
Aetnamajor	$175	98%
Humanamajor	$176	98%

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 1,756), 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 Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center 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 Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center

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

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