How much does CT head/brain, without contrast cost in California?
CPT 70450 — the fair price, every hospital's price, and the Medicare benchmark for California.
Estimates only. Educational estimates from public Medicare
benchmarks and hospital-published prices — not a guarantee, and not legal, medical, or financial advice.
70450 CT head/brain, without contrast
Ask to pay
$213
About 2.0× what Medicare pays — most hospitals accept a self-pay rate in this range.
Typical
$1,939
Medicare $106
Ask $213
$24 lowboxed = typical rangehigh $19,448
What Medicare paysⓘ
$106
Typical price near you
$1,939
Cash / self-pay price
$2,065
Prices near you — 92 facilities, lowest first
| Facility | Type | Price | vs Medicare | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adventist Health Bakersfield (Bakersfield) lowest ⚠ likely error | Hospital | $24cash | 0.2× | — |
| Adventist Health Glendale (Glendale) ⚠ likely error | Hospital | $26cash | 0.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Eisenhower Medical Center (Rancho Mirage) | Hospital | $67cash | 0.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Centinela Hospital Medical Center (Inglewood) | Hospital | $133cash | 1.3× | — |
| UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center (Santa Monica) | Hospital | $141negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $143negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (Torrance) | Hospital | $150negotiated | 1.4× | — |
| Los Angeles General Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $151negotiated | 1.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach) | Hospital | $178negotiated | 1.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (Pomona) | Hospital | $350cash | 3.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity St. Joseph's Medical Center (Stockton) | Hospital | $378cash | 3.6× | — |
| Natividad Medical Center (Salinas) | Hospital | $383cash | 3.6× | — |
| UCI Medical Center (Orange) | Hospital | $822cash | 7.7× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Placentia Linda (Placentia) | Hospital | $822cash | 7.7× | — |
| UCI Health – Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos) | Hospital | $822cash | 7.7× | — |
| UCI Health – Fountain Valley (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $822cash | 7.7× | — |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego (San Diego) | Hospital | $864cash | 8.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla) | Hospital | $864cash | 8.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (La Jolla) | Hospital | $864cash | 8.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas (Encinitas) | Hospital | $864cash | 8.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $864cash | 8.1× | — |
| Adventist Health Simi Valley (Simi Valley) | Hospital | $866cash | 8.1× | — |
| UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $986cash | 9.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Mercy General Hospital (Sacramento) | Hospital | $1,032cash | 9.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center – Murrieta (Murrieta) | Hospital | $1,190cash | 11.2× | — |
| John Muir Health Concord Medical Center (Concord) | Hospital | $1,243cash | 11.7× | — |
| John Muir Health Walnut Creek Medical Center (Walnut Creek) | Hospital | $1,243cash | 11.7× | ★★★★★ |
| UC Davis Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $1,243cash | 11.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Mercy San Juan Medical Center (Carmichael) | Hospital | $1,297cash | 12.2× | — |
| Providence St. Joseph Hospital (Orange) | Hospital | $1,303cash | 12.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence St. Jude Medical Center (Fullerton) | Hospital | $1,317cash | 12.4× | ★★★★★ |
| USC Arcadia Hospital (Arcadia) | Hospital | $1,404cash | 13.2× | — |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank) | Hospital | $1,406cash | 13.2× | — |
| Providence Little Company of Mary Torrance (Torrance) | Hospital | $1,428cash | 13.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Adventist Health White Memorial (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $1,487cash | 14.0× | — |
| Dignity St. Bernardine Medical Center (San Bernardino) | Hospital | $1,521cash | 14.3× | — |
| UC San Diego Health - Hillcrest & Jacobs Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $1,559cash | 14.7× | — |
| Dignity Bakersfield Memorial Hospital (Bakersfield) | Hospital | $1,577cash | 14.8× | — |
| Dignity St. Mary Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $1,584cash | 14.9× | — |
| Providence Mission Hospital (Mission Viejo) | Hospital | $1,587cash | 14.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Glendale Memorial Hospital (Glendale) | Hospital | $1,597cash | 15.0× | — |
| Providence St. Mary Medical Center (Apple Valley) | Hospital | $1,709cash | 16.1× | — |
| Dignity St. John's Regional Medical Center (Oxnard) | Hospital | $1,778cash | 16.7× | — |
| Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center (Tarzana) | Hospital | $1,850cash | 17.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaweah Health Medical Center (Visalia) | Hospital | $1,939cash | 18.2× | — |
| Highland Hospital – Alameda Health System (Oakland) | Hospital | $1,945cash | 18.3× | — |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center (Loma Linda) | Hospital | $2,035cash | 19.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Tri-City Medical Center (Oceanside) | Hospital | $2,062cash | 19.4× | — |
| Dignity Northridge Hospital Medical Center (Northridge) | Hospital | $2,065cash | 19.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Holy Cross Medical Center (Mission Hills) | Hospital | $2,128cash | 20.0× | — |
| Dignity California Hospital Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $2,264cash | 21.3× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $2,288cash | 21.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center (Fontana) | Hospital | $2,288cash | 21.5× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Diego Zion Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $2,288cash | 21.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Clovis Community Medical Center (Clovis) | Hospital | $2,320cash | 21.8× | — |
| Community Regional Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $2,320cash | 21.8× | — |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley (Pleasanton) | Hospital | $2,371cash | 22.3× | — |
| Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $2,395cash | 22.5× | — |
| Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center (Napa) | Hospital | $2,400cash | 22.6× | — |
| Dignity Sequoia Hospital (Redwood City) | Hospital | $2,456cash | 23.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Mercy Medical Center Redding (Redding) | Hospital | $2,536cash | 23.8× | — |
| Rady Children's Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $2,625cash | 24.7× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $2,682cash | 25.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $2,682cash | 25.2× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $2,682cash | 25.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $2,786cash | 26.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $2,786cash | 26.2× | — |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital (Coronado) | Hospital | $2,786cash | 26.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Grossmont Hospital (La Mesa) | Hospital | $2,786cash | 26.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Dominican Hospital (Santa Cruz) | Hospital | $3,014cash | 28.3× | — |
| Stanford Health Care (Stanford) | Hospital | $3,111cash | 29.3× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Lakewood (Lakewood) | Hospital | $3,771cash | 35.5× | — |
| Desert Regional Medical Center (Palm Springs) | Hospital | $4,232cash | 39.8× | — |
| Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $4,312cash | 40.5× | — |
| Sutter Medical Center Sacramento (Sacramento) | Hospital | $4,312cash | 40.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame) | Hospital | $4,312cash | 40.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter CPMC Van Ness Campus (San Francisco) | Hospital | $4,312cash | 40.5× | — |
| Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (Oakland) | Hospital | $4,312cash | 40.5× | — |
| Sutter Roseville Medical Center (Roseville) | Hospital | $4,312cash | 40.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Memorial Medical Center (Modesto) | Hospital | $4,312cash | 40.5× | — |
| Sutter Eden Medical Center (Castro Valley) | Hospital | $4,312cash | 40.5× | — |
| Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford (Palo Alto) | Hospital | $4,324cash | 40.7× | — |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $4,337cash | 40.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Keck Hospital of USC (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $4,582cash | 43.1× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $5,215cash | 49.0× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center (Laguna Hills) | Hospital | $5,215cash | 49.0× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $5,215cash | 49.0× | — |
| Los Robles Health System (Thousand Oaks) gross charge | Hospital | $6,424cash | 60.4× | — |
| Riverside University Health System Medical Center (Moreno Valley) gross charge | Hospital | $7,855cash | 73.9× | — |
| JFK Memorial Hospital (Indio) gross charge | Hospital | $8,683cash | 81.7× | — |
| Riverside Community Hospital (Riverside) gross charge | Hospital | $14,900cash | 140.1× | — |
| Good Samaritan Hospital (San Jose) gross charge | Hospital | $19,448cash | 182.9× | — |
Prices from each hospital's public machine-readable file; imaging & surgery-center prices are published self-pay rates (often the cheapest option). vs Medicare is how many times the Medicare rate each facility charges. 7 unusually low/high prices excluded from the typical price as likely data errors.
💬 What to say — negotiation scripts
- For 70450 (CT head/brain, without contrast), Medicare's benchmark rate is $106.34. A fair self-pay target for this line is $212.68. If I was charged more than that, please reduce it toward this benchmark.
- Your own published cash / self-pay price for 70450 is $2,065.44, and negotiated rates at nearby facilities run $997.75–$2,956.95. Please apply a rate in that range to my bill rather than the gross charge.
- Please send a fully itemized bill listing every CPT/HCPCS/DRG code and its individual charge, so I can review each line against published rates.
- Separately, what is your financial assistance / charity care policy, and am I eligible? Please send me the application and the income thresholds.
See CT head/brain, without contrast prices in another area
What should 70450 cost in California?
For CT head/brain, without contrast (CPT 70450) in California, a fair self-pay price is around $1,939, with hospitals ranging from $998 to $2,957 across 92 facilities. Medicare's benchmark rate is $106, the floor to negotiate toward. The card above lists each hospital's price, cheapest first, with CMS quality stars.
Frequently asked questions
How much does CT head/brain, without contrast cost in California?
A fair self-pay price for CT head/brain, without contrast (CPT 70450) in California is around $1,939, with hospital prices ranging from $998 to $2,957 across 92 facilities. These are estimates from hospital-published prices, not a guarantee.
What is the Medicare rate for CPT 70450?
Medicare pays about $106 for CT head/brain, without contrast (CPT 70450). That's the negotiation floor — a fair cash-pay target is roughly 1.5–2× it, well below typical gross charges.
Can I negotiate the price of CT head/brain, without contrast?
Yes. Under the federal Hospital Price Transparency rule hospitals must publish these rates, so you can ask to pay the cash or negotiated rate instead of the gross charge. Paste your bill on the home page for a ready-to-send appeal letter and the exact numbers to cite.
Got a bill for this?
If you were charged more than the fair price, you can usually negotiate it down. Paste your itemized bill to get a personalized appeal letter, the exact numbers to cite, an AI negotiation coach, and a charity-care eligibility check — free.
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Prices last refreshed September 2026 from each hospital's official CMS machine-readable file. Medicare rate: CY2025 OPPS/PFS/CLFS. Estimates only — not a guarantee.