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Brain MRI (with contrast) at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center

5555 West Thunderbird Road, Glendale, AZ · Banner Health · · NPI 1154355188

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 2, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$599.94

Cash price

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Discounted cash price

What a hospital charges a self-pay patient who pays directly, without going through insurance — usually well below the gross charge.

Example: A CT scan has a $3,200 gross charge but an $850 discounted cash price. Ask for it by name when scheduling — hospitals don't always advertise it up front.

Full explanation →

What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$3,030.00

Gross charge

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Gross charge (chargemaster price)

The hospital's full, undiscounted list price — pulled from its internal "chargemaster" price list. Almost no one actually pays this.

Example: A chest X-ray has a gross charge of $1,450. The same hospital's discounted cash price for the same X-ray is $180 — the gross charge mostly anchors negotiations, not what patients pay.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$72.99 with Mercy Care vs $2,272.50 with Provider Network of America — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
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Negotiated rate

The price a specific insurance plan agreed to pay the hospital for a service — it varies by insurer, and even by plan within the same insurer.

Example: The same knee MRI has a negotiated rate of $904 with one insurer's PPO plan and $1,509 with another's — identical hospital, identical scan.

Full explanation →

Payer
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Payer

The insurance company footing the bill — Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, and so on.

Example: "Blue Cross Blue Shield" is the payer. Its negotiated rate for an MRI might be $904, while a different payer's negotiated rate for the same scan is $1,509.

Full explanation →
Plan
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Plan

The specific product an insurer sells — e.g. "Blue Cross PPO 500" — which sets your deductible, coinsurance and negotiated rates.

Example: Two people both insured by Aetna can owe very different amounts for the same MRI: $50 with an HMO plan's flat copay, or the full $1,200 toward a high-deductible PPO plan's unmet deductible.

Full explanation →
Negotiated rate vs. cash
Mercy Care Mercy Care Advantage/Mercy Care Plan $72.99 ↓ -88%
Banner University Health Plan AZ Medicaid - AHCCCS $241.82 ↓ -60%
Banner University Health Plan University Family Plan $241.82 ↓ -60%
Health Net Medicaid $241.82 ↓ -60%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicaid $241.82 ↓ -60%
Arizona Physicians IPA Medicaid $241.82 ↓ -60%
Mercy Care Medicaid $241.82 ↓ -60%
UPMC Health Plan Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -37%
Gila River Health Care Corporation Managed Care Program $380.64 ↓ -37%
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN VA Community Care Network $380.64 ↓ -37%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. PPO Medicare Advantage Plan $380.64 ↓ -37%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -37%
Banner University Health Plan Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -37%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -37%
Wellpoint Medicare Advantage HMO $380.64 ↓ -37%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -37%
Mercy Care Mercy Care Advantage $380.64 ↓ -37%
Arizona Physicians IPA Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -37%
Banner Health Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -37%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. HMO Medicare Advantage Plan $380.64 ↓ -37%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -37%
Care 1st Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -37%
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -37%
Humana Medicare Advantage $392.06 ↓ -35%
Carelon Medicare Advantage $399.67 ↓ -33%
Devoted Health Services Medicare Advantage $399.67 ↓ -33%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Medicare Supplemental Senior Preferred $404.08 ↓ -33%
Gold Kidney Health Plan Medicare Advantage $418.70 ↓ -30%
Arizona Priority Care Alignment Health Plans Medicare Advantage/Eternal Health Plan Medicare/SCAN Health Plan Medicare $418.70 ↓ -30%
Aetna Banner Employee Plans $487.00 ↓ -19%
Aetna Qualified Health Plan $517.67 ↓ -14%
United Healthcare Individual Exchange $532.90 ↓ -11%
Health Net Commerical Exchange Product $563.35 ↓ -6%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. ACA Health Plan $570.96 ↓ -5%
Oscar Health Plan Commercial $628.06 ↑ +5%
Aetna Joint Venture $990.00 ↑ +65%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Neighborhood $1,038.65 ↑ +73%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ MaricopaFocus $1,038.65 ↑ +73%
Aetna Designated Group $1,052.00 ↑ +75%
Hospice of the Valley Medicare $1,060.50 ↑ +77%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Alliance/Blue HPN $1,107.89 ↑ +85%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Alliance CHS $1,163.27 ↑ +94%
Aetna Broad Network $1,238.00 ↑ +106%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. LocalFlex $1,346.00 ↑ +124%
National Healthcare Solutions Inc (NHSI) and VIP Universal Medical Insurance Group (VUMI) NHSI VUMI $1,363.50 ↑ +127%
Plotkin Health Plotkin Health $1,363.50 ↑ +127%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Commercial $1,384.86 ↑ +131%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Workers Comp $1,384.86 ↑ +131%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. Commercial $1,496.00 ↑ +149%
Aetna Medical Rental $1,596.81 ↑ +166%
Quiktrip Corporation Commercial $1,636.20 ↑ +173%
Arizona Medical Network Commercial $2,121.00 ↑ +254%
Provider Network of America Commercial $2,272.50 ↑ +279%
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN Tricare not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Brain MRI (with contrast) at other Arizona hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner University Medical Center Phoenix Phoenix $481.77 $241.82 – $2,272.50
Banner University Medical Center Tucson Tucson $628.92 $241.82 – $2,795.20
Banner University Medical Center South Tucson $468.20 $241.82 – $2,795.20
Banner Baywood Medical Center Mesa $502.98 $241.82 – $2,272.50
Banner Boswell Medical Center Sun City $499.95 $241.82 – $2,424.00
Banner Casa Grande Medical Center Casa Grande $433.29 $241.82 – $2,272.50
Banner Del Webb Medical Center Sun City West $539.34 $241.82 – $2,424.00
Banner Estrella Medical Center Phoenix $539.34 $241.82 – $2,272.50

All Arizona hospitals for this procedure →