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Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (with contrast) at Banner Payson Medical Center

807 South Ponderosa Street, Payson, AZ · Banner Health · · NPI 1063923340

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

$1,015.31

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.

$2,047.00

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 $1,842.30 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 ↓ -74%
Banner University Health Plan AZ Medicaid - AHCCCS $266.89 ↓ -74%
Health Net Medicaid $266.89 ↓ -74%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicaid $266.89 ↓ -74%
Arizona Physicians IPA Medicaid $266.89 ↓ -74%
Aetna Banner Employee Plans $487.00 ↓ -52%
UPMC Health Plan Medicare Advantage $839.27 ↓ -17%
Gila River Health Care Corporation Managed Care Program $839.27 ↓ -17%
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN Tricare $839.27 ↓ -17%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. HMO Medicare Advantage Plan/PPO Medicare Advantage Plan $839.27 ↓ -17%
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN VA Community Care Network $839.27 ↓ -17%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicare Advantage $839.27 ↓ -17%
Banner University Health Plan Medicare Advantage $839.27 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare UHC Medicare Advantage $839.27 ↓ -17%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $839.27 ↓ -17%
Health Net Medicare $839.27 ↓ -17%
Wellpoint Medicare Advantage HMO $839.27 ↓ -17%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Medicare Advantage $839.27 ↓ -17%
Mercy Care Mercy Care Advantage $839.27 ↓ -17%
Arizona Physicians IPA Medicare Advantage $839.27 ↓ -17%
Banner Health Medicare Advantage $839.27 ↓ -17%
Care 1st Medicare Advantage $839.27 ↓ -17%
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Medicare Advantage $839.27 ↓ -17%
Carelon Medicare Advantage $881.23 ↓ -13%
Humana Medicare Advantage $889.63 ↓ -12%
National Healthcare Solutions Inc (NHSI) and VIP Universal Medical Insurance Group (VUMI) NHSI VUMI $921.15 ↓ -9%
Plotkin Health Plotkin Health $921.15 ↓ -9%
Gold Kidney Health Plan Medicare Advantage $923.20 ↓ -9%
Arizona Priority Care Medicare Advantage $923.20 ↓ -9%
Devoted Health Services Medicare Advantage $923.20 ↓ -9%
Aetna Joint Venture $1,084.91 ↑ +7%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Neighborhood $1,086.56 ↑ +7%
Aetna Aetna Qualified Health Plan $1,142.23 ↑ +13%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Alliance/Blue HPN $1,159.00 ↑ +14%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. ACA Health Plan $1,197.49 ↑ +18%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Alliance CHS $1,216.94 ↑ +20%
Health Net Commerical Exchange Product $1,242.12 ↑ +22%
Aetna Medical Rental $1,316.22 ↑ +30%
Aetna Broad Network $1,355.11 ↑ +33%
United Healthcare UHC Individual Exchange $1,371.49 ↑ +35%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Medicare $1,383.74 ↑ +36%
Oscar Health Plan Commercial $1,384.80 ↑ +36%
Quiktrip Corporation Commercial $1,432.90 ↑ +41%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Commercial $1,448.75 ↑ +43%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Workers Comp $1,448.75 ↑ +43%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. Commerical/HMO Benefit Plan/Local Flex Plan/Network Benefit Plan/Open Access Plan $1,629.41 ↑ +60%
Arizona Medical Network Commercial $1,842.30 ↑ +81%
Provider Network of America Commercial $1,842.30 ↑ +81%

Visitor-reported prices

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Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (with contrast) at other Arizona hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner University Medical Center Phoenix Phoenix $432.72 $266.89 – $2,253.75
Banner University Medical Center Tucson Tucson $566.00 $266.89 – $2,529.60
Banner University Medical Center South Tucson $433.19 $266.89 – $2,529.60
Banner Baywood Medical Center Mesa $378.63 $266.89 – $2,253.75
Banner Boswell Medical Center Sun City $348.58 $266.89 – $2,404.00
Banner Casa Grande Medical Center Casa Grande $396.66 $266.89 – $2,253.75
Banner Del Webb Medical Center Sun City West $375.62 $266.89 – $2,404.00
Banner Estrella Medical Center Phoenix $384.64 $266.89 – $2,253.75

All Arizona hospitals for this procedure →