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CMS Price Transparency Data Hospital file updated: 03/31/2026

CT scan, head (with and without contrast)

Facility: Seattle Children's Hospital

Billing Code: 70470 (CPT)

Pillar 1 · The BaseRate™ CompositeHow 1.00× Fair BaseRate Works: Raw price averages unfairly penalize hospitals in high-wage cities or trauma centers treating sicker patients. We adjust for local CMS hospital wage levels and patient complexity first. A 1.00× score means right at the fair price average, 0.85× means 15% cheaper than fair market, and 1.30× means 30% above fair market.Good Deal · Below Fair Market
$280Fair BaseRate (0.49× Market)
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price51% Below Fair Price 1.00× (center of the bar) is the U.S. fair price average after accounting for local hospital wages and patient complexity. Left of center (<1.00×) is below fair price; right of center (>1.00×) is above fair price.

This hospital's typical commercial price is $136 compared to the $280 fair price benchmark.

Pillar 2 · VeriRate™ Data TrustHow VeriRate™ (0–100) Works: Hospitals are legally required to publish machine-readable price files, but some bury fake $0.01 numbers or omit cash discounts. VeriRate audits each file across 5 checks (hover any badge below to see what it tests).86/100 · Verified
86/100Hover Any Check Below to See How Prices Were Audited
File Completeness90Provenance (File Completeness): Checks whether the hospital published a complete, up-to-date machine-readable price file with valid CPT and MS-DRG billing codes instead of leaving blanks.
Price Logic88Coherence (Price Logic): Checks whether the hospital’s numbers make basic sense — e.g., self-pay cash price is lower than gross list price, with no fake $0.01 or $999,999 placeholder numbers.
Peer Alignment86Concordance (Peer Alignment): Checks whether reported prices sit in a realistic range compared to Medicare and nearby hospitals rather than wild 100× unit errors.
Clean Billing83Regularity (Clean Billing): Checks whether rates are structured consistently across procedures without erratic statistical spikes or hidden unbundled facility fees.
Real Cash Discount84Cash Honesty (Real Cash Discount): Checks whether the hospital offers a genuine self-pay cash discount that beats or matches commercial insurance rates instead of billing full sticker price.
Pillar 3 · Clinical Quality & ER SpeedChecks whether higher hospital prices actually buy better clinical quality — combining CMS Star Ratings, hospital safety scores, and emergency room wait times.Regional Value Leader
CMS Star RatingNot RatedOfficial CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating (1 to 5 stars) summarizing mortality, safety of care, readmissions, and patient experience.
Safety ScoreNot ScoredComposite patient safety score (0–100) derived from CMS hospital-acquired infection rates (CLABSI, CAUTI, MRSA, C. diff), surgical complications, and HCAHPS surveys.
Typical ER WaitNo ER DataMedian minutes patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, as reported to CMS Timely and Effective Care.

Balances commercial hospital prices against CMS clinical safety, infection control, and patient experience.

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence
A fair price for this
$280
about 1.6× the $179 Medicare rate · typically $125–$513
modeled estimate · not a bill or quote
What this hospital charges insurers
$136
Below the fair price — a good deal
about $144 under the fair price · 0.8× Medicare
Medicare pays $179 Fair price $280 This hospital $136 Cash price $250 Hospital's list price $250

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other WA hospitals

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

Cheapest $67 Priciest $210

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

A fair price for a CT scan, head (with and without contrast) is about $280 (about 1.6× the $179 Medicare rate). Seattle Children's Hospital charges insurers about $136, or about $250 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Seattle, WA.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

6 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

UnitedHealthcareBlue Cross Blue ShieldAetnaCignaHumanaKaiser 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 $38 - $2,985 21%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor $36 - $2,816 20%
Aetnamajor $136 - $3,257 76%
Cignamajor $125 - $2,884 70%
Humanamajor $199 - $3,223 111%
Kaiser Permanentemajor $36 - $2,544 20%
Medical Mutual $199 - $3,223 111%
Moda Health $136 - $3,223 76%
Molina $36 - $2,544 20%
PacificSource $3,257 1818%
Providence Health Plan $125 - $2,884 70%
SelectHealth $199 - $3,223 111%
Tufts Health Plan $125 - $2,884 70%
+ 61 smaller / regional plans $34 - $3,257
Government programs also on file: Medicaid.
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

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Facility Profile & Credentials

  • Address: 4800 Sand Point Way Ne, Po Box C-5371, Seattle, WA 98105
  • CMS Rating: No CMS Rating
  • Ownership Type: Voluntary non-profit - Private
  • Hospital Type: Childrens

Other Procedures at Seattle Children's Hospital

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

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

Inline Bill X-Ray & 501(r) Calculator 501(c)(3) Nonprofit · Free Care ≤200% FPL · AGB Cap 36.3%

Audit a Bill or Quote at Seattle Children's Hospital (Zero PHI Required)

CMS CCN: 503300
CPT 70470
Fair BaseRate™ $280
Medicare Rate $179
Self-Pay Cash $250
Insurer Median $136
Pre-filled with Seattle Children's Hospital’s charged/list benchmark
Screened against 2026 HHS Federal Poverty Guidelines
2026 FPL: $15,650 + $5,500 per additional person
Step 1 · 501(r) Charity Care Check 501(r) AGB Cap: $91 (274% FPL)

Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $91

At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (36.3% of gross = $91).

Step 2 · Cash vs. Insurance Arbitrage Published Cash: $250

Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible

Seattle Children's Hospital's published 45 CFR § 180 self-pay cash rate is $250 (vs. $136 commercial insurer median). Ask billing to reclassify the visit to prompt-pay self-pay if it beats your deductible.

Step 3 · Fair BaseRate Target Target: $280 Fair BaseRate

Negotiate Toward $280 Fair BaseRate ($179 Medicare)

Your entered amount is at or below the modeled Fair BaseRate benchmark ($280).

1-Click Factual Dispute Summary: Copy a citation-backed benchmark memo (with CMS CCN, CPT code, Medicare reference, Fair BaseRate, and 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) calculations) to paste into patient-portal messages or billing appeals.
Care-Setting Arbitrage, Bilateral SVD Insurer Leverage & Regional Alternatives

How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings

45 CFR § 180 Primary-Source Lineage & Federal Verification Verified CMS CCN 503300

Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings

MRF Portal Indexed (910564748_seattle-childrens-hospital_standardcharges.csv) Verify on CMS Medicare.gov (CCN 503300) ↗ CMS HCRIS Cost Reports ↗
Published MRF File910564748_seattle-childrens-hospital_standardcharges.csv
Publication / Vintage03/31/2026 · 910.07 MB
Validated Rate Rows7,146,939 (CMS v3.0.0)
File Integrity Digest4d7a563bf5568aa9c0c7…

Safe-Harbor Data Corrections: Parsed directly from public 45 CFR § 180 hospital filings, CMS Care Compare, and CMS HCRIS cost reports. Hospital compliance officers may submit updated MRF URLs or rate tables for verification.

Submit MRF Update Correction Policy