Brain MRI (with and without contrast) at CHI St. Vincent Hospital Hot Springs

300 Werner Street, Hot Springs, AR · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1619915949

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

$4,999.00

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.

$4,999.00

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.

$339.54 with BCBS - AR vs $3,999.20 with Multiplan — 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
BCBS - AR Medicare|PFFS $339.54 ↓ -93%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $339.54 ↓ -93%
Cigna Medicare|Healthspring $349.73 ↓ -93%
BCBS - AR Medicare|HMO PPO $349.73 ↓ -93%
United Medicare|All Plans $349.73 ↓ -93%
Centene Medicare|Allwell $356.52 ↓ -93%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $356.52 ↓ -93%
BCBS - AR Commercial|TrueBlue Exchange $366.59 ↓ -93%
BCBS - AR Commercial|All Other Plans $366.59 ↓ -93%
Centene Commercial|Ambetter Exchange $505.68 ↓ -90%
Cigna Commercial|AHN $584.00 ↓ -88%
Centene Commercial|QualChoice $613.91 ↓ -88%
Cigna Commercial|NBR $620.00 ↓ -88%
United Commercial|Non-Options $828.27 ↓ -83%
United Commercial|Options $828.27 ↓ -83%
TotalCare Medicaid|All Plans $1,312.06 ↓ -74%
Empower Medicaid|All Plans $1,312.06 ↓ -74%
Summit Medicaid|All Plans $1,312.06 ↓ -74%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $1,390.00 ↓ -72%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $3,749.25 ↓ -25%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $3,999.20 ↓ -20%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $3,999.20 ↓ -20%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $3,999.20 ↓ -20%
Multiplan Commercial|All Plans $3,999.20 ↓ -20%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brain MRI (with and without contrast) at other Arkansas hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mercy Hospital Berryville Berryville $2,133.95 $183.49 – $1,895.70
Mercy Orthopedic Hospital Fort Smith Fort Smith $2,925.65 $183.49 – $1,895.70
CHI St. Vincent Morrilton Morrilton $1,796.91 $366.59 – $2,074.17
CHI St. Vincent North Sherwood $1,793.39 $366.59 – $2,827.78

All Arkansas hospitals for this procedure →