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PricedCare

CT scan of the head, no contrast in Boston, MA-NH costs $203 to $1,392. Here's every hospital's price.

5 hospitals in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area publish a cash price for ct scan of the head, no contrast (CPT 70450). We read their files every month so you don't have to.

Across the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, 5 hospitals list a cash price for ct scan of the head, no contrast (CPT 70450). The lowest is $203 at Boston Medical Center-Brighton, the median is $490 and the highest is $1,392 at Cambridge Health Alliance. The most expensive hospital lists 6.9 times the cheapest for the same code.

The Boston, MA-NH median of $490 is 49% below the national median of $968 across 549 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

6 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $59 to $1,841. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which is sometimes higher than the cash price; you may ask for the cash price instead.

The files behind these prices are dated between January 2026 and April 2026. 35 other hospitals in the metro area have no readable price for this code: some publish no file, some block automated reading, some leave the code out. They are listed below so you can call them.

$203
lowest cash price in Boston, MA-NH
Boston Medical Center-Brighton · 13 mi
$287 below the median
$490
median cash price
5 hospitals
6.9×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
5/41
hospitals with a cash price
35 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
Boston Medical Center-Brighton

Brighton · 13 mi · File Mar 2026

$203
list $451 · lowest of 2 lines
2
Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital

Brockton · 30 mi · File Jan 2026

$377
list $538 · lowest of 2 lines
3
Tufts Medical Center

Boston · 12 mi · File Apr 2026

$490
list $700 · lowest of 3 lines
4
Boston Medical Center

Boston · 13 mi · File Mar 2026

$856
list $1,903
5
Lowell General Hospital

Lowell · 19 mi · File Apr 2026

$913
list $1,304 · lowest of 3 lines
6
Cambridge Health Alliance

Cambridge · 11 mi · File Mar 2026

$1,392
list $1,392
1

What's in the price

The hospital facility fee for CPT 70450. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.

2

Cash vs. insured

Cash is what you pay without insurance. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which can be higher than cash. You may ask for the cash price.

3

What to say on the phone

"I'd like the self-pay price for CPT 70450, in writing, and whether it covers facility, physician and anesthesia."

About ct scan of the head, no contrast

CPT 70450 is a CT scan of the head without contrast dye. It takes a few minutes and is the standard first test for head injury, sudden severe headache, stroke symptoms and confusion. No preparation is needed and there is no injection.

What the price covers

The hospital's price is the technical fee: the scanner, the technologist and the room. The radiologist's reading is billed separately (the same code with a professional modifier), typically $50 to $200 on top. Some hospitals list a global price that includes both; the file does not always say which, so ask.

Why prices vary

Imaging is where hospital prices diverge most. A head CT at a hospital-owned imaging center can list at a fraction of the same scan in the hospital's main building, and a freestanding imaging center, which does not publish these files, is often cheaper again. Emergency-department scans carry additional facility charges not shown here.

Questions to ask

  • Is this the self-pay price for the scan alone, or scan plus radiologist reading?
  • Is the price the same at the hospital's outpatient imaging locations?
  • Will I be charged an emergency-department fee if the scan is done there?

Hospitals in Boston, MA-NH without a price for this procedure

Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.

Questions people ask