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PricedCare

CT scan of the head, no contrast in San Francisco, CA costs $1,470 to $2,734. Here's every hospital's price.

6 hospitals in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, 6 hospitals list a cash price for ct scan of the head, no contrast (CPT 70450). The lowest is $1,470 at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, the median is $2,079 and the highest is $2,734 at Chinese Hospital.

The San Francisco, CA median of $2,079 is 115% above the national median of $968 across 549 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

5 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $145 to $4,921. 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 April 2026 and July 2026. 32 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.

$1,470
lowest cash price in San Francisco, CA
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland · 4 mi
$609 below the median
$2,079
median cash price
6 hospitals
1.9×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
6/38
hospitals with a cash price
32 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

Oakland · 4 mi · File Apr 2026

$1,470
list $4,901
2
Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley

Pleasanton · 22 mi · File Apr 2026

$1,569
list $3,922 · lowest of 2 lines
3
Washington Hospital

Fremont · 22 mi · File Apr 2026

$2,079
list $2,666 · lowest of 7 lines
4
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco

South San Francisco · 12 mi · File Apr 2026

$2,682
list $4,790
5
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch

Antioch · 30 mi · File Apr 2026

$2,682
list $4,790 · lowest of 6 lines
6
Chinese Hospital

San Francisco · 7 mi · File Jul 2026

$2,734
list $2,734
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 San Francisco, CA 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