MRI chest without contrast at Sterling Regional Medical Center

615 Fairhurst Street, Sterling, CO · Banner Health · · NPI 1942238555

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

$1,330.45

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.

$2,886.00

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.

$242.92 with Clear Spring Health vs $2,799.42 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
Clear Spring Health Medicare Advantage $242.92 ↓ -82%
United Healthcare UHC Medicare Advantage $242.92 ↓ -82%
Longevity Medicare Advantage $250.21 ↓ -81%
Humana Medicare Advantage $257.50 ↓ -81%
Devoted Health Services Medicare Advantage $267.21 ↓ -80%
Pinnacol Assurance Workers Comp Pinnacol Assurance WC $380.90 ↓ -71%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $805.19 ↓ -39%
Banner Health Banner Choice Plus/Banner Select $894.66 ↓ -33%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Medicare $894.66 ↓ -33%
HealthSpring Life & Health Insurance Company, Inc. Medicare Advantage $894.66 ↓ -33%
Medicare Traditional Medicare $894.66 ↓ -33%
Medica Medicare Advantage $894.66 ↓ -33%
Assist Health Group AHG Specialty Network $1,073.59 ↓ -19%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Pathway Standard $1,528.71 ↑ +15%
United Healthcare Colorado Navigate/Colorado Option $1,673.88 ↑ +26%
Denver Health Medical Plan Commercial $1,747.47 ↑ +31%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Pathway $2,059.00 ↑ +55%
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado Blue Priority/HMO/PPO/Indemnity $2,059.00 ↑ +55%
Medica Commercial $2,404.04 ↑ +81%
United Healthcare Colorado Doctor's Plan $2,461.76 ↑ +85%
Apostrophe, Inc. Commercial $2,597.40 ↑ +95%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $2,597.40 ↑ +95%
Aetna Commercial/Medical Rental $2,683.98 ↑ +102%
United Healthcare Commercial $2,735.93 ↑ +106%
First Choice of the Midwest Commercial $2,741.70 ↑ +106%
Rocky Mountain Health Plans Private Plan/Self Insured Plan $2,741.70 ↑ +106%
Hue Health, Inc Medicare Advantage $2,741.70 ↑ +106%
Multiplan Commercial $2,799.42 ↑ +110%
Molina Healthcare Medicaid/CHIP not published by hospital
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN Tricare not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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MRI chest without contrast at other Colorado hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Fort Collins Medical Center Fort Collins $782.46 $235.63 – $1,966.50
Banner North Colorado Medical Center - Loveland Campus Loveland $799.02 $235.93 – $1,966.50
East Morgan County Hospital Brush $2,112.55 $63.63 – $146.47
AdventHealth Porter Denver $4,763.87 $246.66 – $465.64
HCA HealthONE Rocky Mountain Children's at Presbyterian St. Luke's Denver $13,494.25 $164.24 – $517.79
AdventHealth Littleton Littleton $4,763.87 $246.66 – $465.64
AdventHealth Avista Louisville $4,763.87 $249.40 – $470.81
AdventHealth Castle Rock Castle Rock $4,763.87 $246.66 – $465.64

All Colorado hospitals for this procedure →