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Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (with and without contrast) at Banner Desert Medical Center

1400 South Dobson Road, Mesa, AZ · Banner Health · · NPI 1720011810

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

$685.14

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.

$3,606.00

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.

$266.89 with Mercy Care vs $2,704.50 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 Medicaid $266.89 ↓ -61%
Banner University Health Plan AZ Medicaid - AHCCCS $266.89 ↓ -61%
Health Net Medicaid $266.89 ↓ -61%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicaid $266.89 ↓ -61%
Arizona Physicians IPA Medicaid $266.89 ↓ -61%
UPMC Health Plan Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -44%
Gila River Health Care Corporation Managed Care Program $380.64 ↓ -44%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. HMO Medicare Advantage Plans $380.64 ↓ -44%
Banner University Health Plan University Care Advantage $380.64 ↓ -44%
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN VA Community Care Network $380.64 ↓ -44%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. PPO Medicare Advantage Plan $380.64 ↓ -44%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -44%
United Healthcare UHC Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -44%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -44%
Humana Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -44%
Health Net Medicare $380.64 ↓ -44%
Wellpoint Medicare Advantage HMO $380.64 ↓ -44%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -44%
Mercy Care Mercy Care Advantage $380.64 ↓ -44%
Arizona Physicians IPA Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -44%
Banner Health Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -44%
Care 1st Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -44%
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -44%
Carelon Medicare Advantage $399.67 ↓ -42%
Devoted Health Services Medicare Advantage $399.67 ↓ -42%
Gold Kidney Health Plan Medicare Advantage $418.70 ↓ -39%
Arizona Priority Care Medicare Advantage $418.70 ↓ -39%
Aetna Banner Employee Plans $487.00 ↓ -29%
NaphCare Federal Prison System $513.86 ↓ -25%
Aetna Qualified Health Plan $517.67 ↓ -24%
United Healthcare Individual Exchange $532.90 ↓ -22%
Health Net Commerical Exchange Product $563.35 ↓ -18%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. ACA Health Plan $570.96 ↓ -17%
Oscar Health Plan Commercial $628.06 ↓ -8%
Aetna Joint Venture $990.00 ↑ +44%
Aetna Designated Group $1,052.00 ↑ +54%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Neighborhood $1,186.30 ↑ +73%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ MaricopaFocus $1,186.30 ↑ +73%
Aetna Broad Network $1,238.00 ↑ +81%
Hospice of the Valley Medicare $1,262.10 ↑ +84%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Alliance/Blue HPN $1,265.39 ↑ +85%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Alliance CHS $1,328.65 ↑ +94%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. LocalFlex $1,346.00 ↑ +96%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. Commercial $1,496.00 ↑ +118%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Commercial $1,581.73 ↑ +131%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Medicare Supplemental Senior Preferred $1,581.73 ↑ +131%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Workers Comp $1,581.73 ↑ +131%
National Healthcare Solutions Inc (NHSI) and VIP Universal Medical Insurance Group (VUMI) NHSI VUMI $1,622.70 ↑ +137%
Plotkin Health Plotkin Health $1,622.70 ↑ +137%
Aetna Medical Rental $1,900.36 ↑ +177%
Quiktrip Corporation Commercial $1,947.24 ↑ +184%
Arizona Medical Network Commercial $2,524.20 ↑ +268%
Provider Network of America Commercial $2,704.50 ↑ +295%
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN Tricare not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (with and without contrast) at other Arizona hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Baywood Medical Center Mesa $454.36 $266.89 – $2,704.50
Banner Heart Hospital Mesa $954.98 $266.89 – $2,704.50
Banner University Medical Center Phoenix Phoenix $519.26 $266.89 – $2,704.50
Banner University Medical Center Tucson Tucson $679.13 $266.89 – $3,035.20
Banner University Medical Center South Tucson $519.78 $266.89 – $3,035.20
Banner Boswell Medical Center Sun City $418.30 $266.89 – $2,884.80
Banner Casa Grande Medical Center Casa Grande $475.99 $266.89 – $2,704.50
Banner Del Webb Medical Center Sun City West $450.75 $266.89 – $2,884.80

All Arizona hospitals for this procedure →