Brain MRA (blood vessel MRI, without contrast) at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center

350 W Thomas Rd, Phoenix, AZ · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1982733655

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$1,167.40

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.

$3,056.00

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.

$232.45 with United vs $2,484.27 with Aetna — 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
United Medicaid|All Plans $232.45 ↓ -80%
Health Choice Medicaid|All Plans $232.45 ↓ -80%
United Medicare|Dual Complete $251.41 ↓ -78%
Optum Medicare|OptumCare $257.63 ↓ -78%
Mercy Care Plan Medicaid|All Plans $257.63 ↓ -78%
Health Choice Medicare|All Plans $257.63 ↓ -78%
BCBS - AZ Medicare|All Plans $257.63 ↓ -78%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $257.63 ↓ -78%
Cigna Medicare|All Plans $257.63 ↓ -78%
United Medicare|All Other Plans $257.63 ↓ -78%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $257.63 ↓ -78%
Mercy Care Plan Medicare|All Plans $257.63 ↓ -78%
First Health Medicare|All Plans $257.63 ↓ -78%
Care 1st Medicare|All Plans $257.63 ↓ -78%
Devoted Health Medicare|All Plans $265.36 ↓ -77%
Optum Medicare|OptumHealth $283.39 ↓ -76%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $525.31 ↓ -55%
United Commercial|Navigate $525.31 ↓ -55%
United Commercial|Options PPO $525.31 ↓ -55%
United Commercial|DignityHealthEmployee $580.64 ↓ -50%
Cigna Commercial|Exchange $1,231.00 ↑ +5%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus SureFit $1,318.00 ↑ +13%
Connected Care Commercial|Intel $1,389.00 ↑ +19%
Optum Commercial|OptumHealth $1,436.32 ↑ +23%
Aetna Commercial|All Plans $1,530.85 ↑ +31%
Cigna Commercial|LifeSource $1,680.80 ↑ +44%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $1,734.00 ↑ +49%
Other Commercial|NTN $1,833.60 ↑ +57%
LifeTrac Commercial|All Plans $1,986.40 ↑ +70%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $2,016.96 ↑ +73%
Health Net Commercial|Interlink $2,139.20 ↑ +83%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $2,414.24 ↑ +107%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $2,484.27 ↑ +113%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $2,484.27 ↑ +113%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $2,484.27 ↑ +113%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brain MRA (blood vessel MRI, without contrast) at other Arizona hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner University Medical Center Phoenix Phoenix $436.57 $166.84 – $1,629.00
Banner Estrella Medical Center Phoenix $436.57 $166.84 – $1,629.00
Arizona General Hospital Laveen Phoenix $941.19 $232.45 – $3,357.87
Mercy Gilbert Medical Center Gilbert $970.97 $232.45 – $3,039.19
Banner University Medical Center Tucson Tucson $339.08 $166.84 – $1,644.00
Banner University Medical Center South Tucson $283.59 $166.84 – $1,644.00
Banner Baywood Medical Center Mesa $377.93 $166.84 – $1,629.00
Banner Boswell Medical Center Sun City $264.98 $166.84 – $1,737.60

All Arizona hospitals for this procedure →