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Knee 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

$612.64

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.

$2,974.00

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 $2,230.50 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%
Aetna Banner Employee Plans $487.00 ↓ -21%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Medicare Supplemental Senior Preferred $512.07 ↓ -16%
Banner University Health Plan AZ Medicaid - AHCCCS $518.51 ↓ -15%
Banner University Health Plan University Family Plan $518.51 ↓ -15%
Health Net Medicaid $518.51 ↓ -15%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicaid $518.51 ↓ -15%
Arizona Physicians IPA Medicaid $518.51 ↓ -15%
Mercy Care Medicaid $518.51 ↓ -15%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $594.80 ↓ -3%
Aetna Qualified Health Plan $755.40 ↑ +23%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicare Advantage $892.20 ↑ +46%
Aetna Joint Venture $990.00 ↑ +62%
Hospice of the Valley Medicare $1,040.90 ↑ +70%
Aetna Designated Group $1,052.00 ↑ +72%
Arizona Priority Care Alignment Health Plans Medicare Advantage/Eternal Health Plan Medicare/SCAN Health Plan Medicare $1,189.60 ↑ +94%
Aetna Broad Network $1,238.00 ↑ +102%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Neighborhood $1,316.22 ↑ +115%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ MaricopaFocus $1,316.22 ↑ +115%
National Healthcare Solutions Inc (NHSI) and VIP Universal Medical Insurance Group (VUMI) NHSI VUMI $1,338.30 ↑ +118%
Plotkin Health Plotkin Health $1,338.30 ↑ +118%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. LocalFlex $1,346.00 ↑ +120%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Alliance/Blue HPN $1,403.97 ↑ +129%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Alliance CHS $1,474.16 ↑ +141%
Oscar Health Plan Commercial $1,487.00 ↑ +143%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. ACA Health Plan $1,487.00 ↑ +143%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. Commercial $1,496.00 ↑ +144%
Aetna Medical Rental $1,567.30 ↑ +156%
Health Net Commerical Exchange Product $1,605.96 ↑ +162%
Quiktrip Corporation Commercial $1,605.96 ↑ +162%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Commercial $1,754.96 ↑ +186%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Workers Comp $1,754.96 ↑ +186%
Arizona Medical Network Commercial $2,081.80 ↑ +240%
Provider Network of America Commercial $2,230.50 ↑ +264%
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN Tricare not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Knee MRI (with contrast) at other Arizona hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner University Medical Center Phoenix Phoenix $571.01 $487.00 – $2,230.50
Banner University Medical Center Tucson Tucson $857.10 $487.00 – $3,706.40
Banner University Medical Center South Tucson $732.01 $487.00 – $3,706.40
Banner Baywood Medical Center Mesa $526.40 $487.00 – $3,070.63
Banner Boswell Medical Center Sun City $437.18 $487.00 – $3,070.63
Banner Casa Grande Medical Center Casa Grande $588.85 $487.00 – $2,947.19
Banner Del Webb Medical Center Sun City West $440.15 $487.00 – $3,070.63
Banner Estrella Medical Center Phoenix $562.09 $487.00 – $3,070.63

All Arizona hospitals for this procedure →