CT scan, chest (no contrast)
Facility: Aurora Medical Center
Billing Code: 71250 (CPT)
- CPT Billing Code: 71250
- Insurance Median: $1,014
- Cash Discount Price: $1,470
- vs. Medicare Baseline: 9.49x Medicare
Average discount available for prompt cash payment at this facility.
Median negotiated contract rate across all mapped commercial carriers.
Standard federal government reimbursement rate for this code.
Visual Cost Comparison vs. Medicare
Understanding this gauge: We use the federal Medicare rate of $106.81 as the cost baseline. Rates below the baseline represent excellent value. In-network commercial rates commonly hover around 150% - 250% of Medicare, while rates exceeding 300% are elevated. Hover over the green and blue markers to view detailed calculations.
Elevated Commercial Rate Alert (Value-Gap)
The negotiated rate at this facility is 949% of the Medicare baseline (a markup of 849%). Patients with high-deductible plans or out-of-network benefits may face excessive out-of-pocket costs.
Out-of-Pocket Cost Estimator
Estimate whether it is more economical to use your insurance or pay the upfront self-pay cash rate.
Commercial Insurance Negotiated Rates
Negotiated contract ranges established by major commercial carriers at this facility.
| Carrier / Plan Group | Contract Rate Range | vs. Medicare Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Aurora Caregiver | $475 | 445% |
| UnitedHealthcare | $538 - $2,475 | 504% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield | $556 - $2,499 | 521% |
| Healthpartners | $796 - $2,205 | 745% |
| Molina Exchange | $796 | 745% |
| Common Ground | $812 | 760% |
| Centivo | $820 | 768% |
| Aetna | $836 - $2,428 | 783% |
| Health Payment Systems | $875 | 819% |
| Quartz One | $900 | 843% |
| Everpointe Elite | $983 | 920% |
| Quartz Group | $1,000 | 936% |
| Hs Technology | $1,014 | 949% |
| Wisconsin Physician Service | $1,128 - $1,187 | 1056% |
| Trilogy | $1,170 | 1095% |
| Cigna | $1,700 - $2,487 | 1592% |
| Health Eos Plus | $1,764 | 1652% |
| Health Eos | $2,352 | 2202% |
Consumer Guidance & Cost Commentary
For patients paying cash directly, the most important thing to know is that the billed amount can be significantly lower than what insurance companies pay, making upfront payment a potentially smarter financial strategy. The cash median rate for this CT scan is $1,470, which is notably lower than the median negotiated rate of $1,014 paid by UnitedHealthcare and the median paid rate of $744 processed by insurers in general. While commercial contracts often include administrative overhead that inflates prices, paying out-of-pocket avoids these layers, and patients should explicitly ask the hospital about "self-pay" or "prompt-pay" discounts before scheduling to ensure they receive the lowest possible fee.
The broader pricing context reveals that this facility's rates vary widely depending on the payer, ranging from a high of $2,499 with Blue Cross Blue Shield down to a low of $475 with Aurora Caregiver. Compared to the national benchmark, the gross charge of $2,940 is 9.5 times the Medicare amount of $106.81, highlighting the significant markup inherent in the chargemaster list. Since over 80% of hospital bills contain errors, patients should always request a full itemized CPT-coded statement rather than accepting a summary bill, and if they receive an unexpected balance bill, they should dispute it with their insurer under the No Surprises Act rather than paying immediately.