MRI brain without dye at Banner Estrella Medical Center

9201 West Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ · Banner Health · · NPI 1275566200

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

$605.91

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.

$3,404.00

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.

$350.10 with Health Choice Arizona, Inc. vs $3,808.00 with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona — 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
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicaid $350.10 ↓ -42%
Mercy Care Mercy Medicaid $350.10 ↓ -42%
Banner University Health Plan AZ Medicaid - AHCCCS $350.10 ↓ -42%
Health Net Medicaid $350.10 ↓ -42%
Arizona Physicians IPA Medicaid $350.10 ↓ -42%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $584.39 ↓ -4%
Mercy Care Mercy Care Advantage $584.39 ↓ -4%
Arizona Physicians IPA Medicare Advantage $584.39 ↓ -4%
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Medicare Advantage $584.39 ↓ -4%
Banner Health Medicare Advantage $584.39 ↓ -4%
Banner University Health Plan University Care Advantage $584.39 ↓ -4%
Humana Medicare Advantage $584.39 ↓ -4%
Health Net Medicare $584.39 ↓ -4%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicare Advantage $584.39 ↓ -4%
Gila River Health Care Corporation Managed Care Program $584.39 ↓ -4%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Medicare Advantage $584.39 ↓ -4%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. PPO Medicare Advantage Plan $584.39 ↓ -4%
Wellpoint Medicare Advantage HMO $584.39 ↓ -4%
Care 1st Medicare Advantage $584.39 ↓ -4%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. HMO Medicare Advantage Plans $584.39 ↓ -4%
UPMC Health Plan Medicare Advantage $584.39 ↓ -4%
United Healthcare UHC Medicare Advantage $584.39 ↓ -4%
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN VA Community Care Network $584.39 ↓ -4%
Devoted Health Services Medicare Advantage $613.61 ↑ +1%
Carelon Medicare Advantage $613.61 ↑ +1%
Arizona Priority Care Medicare Advantage $642.83 ↑ +6%
Gold Kidney Health Plan Medicare Advantage $642.83 ↑ +6%
NaphCare Federal Prison System $788.93 ↑ +30%
Aetna Qualified Health Plan $794.77 ↑ +31%
United Healthcare Individual Exchange $818.15 ↑ +35%
Health Net Commerical Exchange Product $864.90 ↑ +43%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. ACA Health Plan $876.59 ↑ +45%
Oscar Health Plan Commercial $964.24 ↑ +59%
Aetna Banner Employee Plans $1,143.74 ↑ +89%
Hospice of the Valley Medicare $1,191.40 ↑ +97%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. LocalFlex $1,346.00 ↑ +122%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. Commercial $1,496.00 ↑ +147%
National Healthcare Solutions Inc (NHSI) and VIP Universal Medical Insurance Group (VUMI) NHSI VUMI $1,531.80 ↑ +153%
Plotkin Health Plotkin Health $1,531.80 ↑ +153%
Aetna Joint Venture $1,572.65 ↑ +160%
Aetna Designated Group $1,671.36 ↑ +176%
Aetna Medical Rental $1,793.91 ↑ +196%
Quiktrip Corporation Commercial $1,838.16 ↑ +203%
Aetna Broad Network $1,964.11 ↑ +224%
United Healthcare UHC Doctor's Plan $2,073.84 ↑ +242%
United Healthcare UHC Core $2,259.95 ↑ +273%
Arizona Medical Network Commercial $2,382.80 ↑ +293%
United Healthcare Commercial $2,444.62 ↑ +303%
Provider Network of America Commercial $2,553.00 ↑ +321%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ MaricopaFocus $2,856.00 ↑ +371%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Neighborhood $2,856.00 ↑ +371%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Alliance/Blue HPN $3,046.40 ↑ +403%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Alliance CHS $3,198.70 ↑ +428%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Medicare Supplemental Senior Preferred $3,808.00 ↑ +528%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Workers Comp $3,808.00 ↑ +528%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Commercial $3,808.00 ↑ +528%
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN Tricare not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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MRI brain without dye at other Arizona hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner University Medical Center Phoenix Phoenix $541.24 $350.10 – $2,553.00
Banner Desert Medical Center Mesa $725.05 $350.10 – $2,553.00
Banner Gateway Medical Center Gilbert $578.68 $350.10 – $2,553.00

All Arizona hospitals for this procedure →