Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) CT Scan (with contrast) at RESEARCH MEDICAL CENTER

2316 E Meyer Blvd, Kansas City, MO · Hcamidwest · · NPI 1134187842

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Sep 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 24, 2026

not published by hospital

Cash price

?

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.

not published by hospital

Gross charge

?

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.

$101.17 with United vs $12,766.92 with Optum Health — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 KSMGMCD $101.17 —
HealthyBlue MGMCD $103.19 —
Sunflower State Health Plan MCD $104.21 —
Unicare MGMCD $105.22 —
Aetna Better Health MCD $105.22 —
Amerigroup MGMCD $105.22 —
Aetna Coventry FamilyHealthPlanMCD $158.49 —
Cigna SureFit/LocalPlus $216.87 —
Multiplan WCOMPMissouri $219.33 —
Cigna LocalKC $251.11 —
CorVel Corporation KSWC $260.45 —
Multiplan WCOMPKansas $267.31 —
OHA Network KansasWCOMP $271.42 —
Cigna Comm $314.71 —
United AllPayerAppendix $401.74 —
BCBS BlueAccess $404.72 —
BCBS Preferred-CareBlue(PPO) $404.72 —
BCBS Blue-Care(HMO) $404.72 —
Aetna IVLHIX $474.00 —
Aetna KCCarePlus $500.00 —
Aetna Local $667.00 —
Aetna National $811.00 —
Anthem MissouriCare MissouriCareMGMCD $1,659.70 —
Ambetter Commercial-Exchange $2,374.65 —
NHC Advantage MGMCR $2,425.71 —
NHC Advantage MGMCD $2,425.71 —
WPPA ProviDrs Care Network UnifiedHealthPlan $2,425.71 —
Humana EPO $2,885.32 —
Humana ASO $2,885.32 —
Humana HMO $2,885.32 —
BCBS FreedomNetworkSelect $3,064.06 —
United OptionsPPO $3,115.13 —
Humana POS $3,638.57 —
Humana PPO $3,638.57 —
Universal Healthcare MCR $4,468.42 —
BCBS Participating $4,723.76 —
BCBS Traditional $4,723.76 —
BCBS PC $4,979.10 —
BCBS FreedomNetwork $4,979.10 —
Coventry WCOMP $5,132.30 —
Coventry KC MO WCOMP $5,234.44 —
College Park Family Care Center COMM $5,489.78 —
United GlobalBenefitPlan $5,745.11 —
Emerging Therapy Solutions MCD $6,128.12 —
Cigna LifeSource COMM $6,383.46 —
OHA Network MissouriWCOMP $6,383.46 —
Emerging Therapy Solutions MGMCR $6,383.46 —
Multiplan PrimaryNetwork $6,766.47 —
CorVel Corporation MOWC $8,298.50 —
Multiplan ComplimentaryNetwork $9,447.52 —
TriWest Health Alliance TRICARE $9,575.19 —
FOCUS Healthcare Mgmt, Inc WORKERSCOMP $9,575.19 —
Evernorth Behavioral Health COMMBH $10,213.54 —
CCO, Inc. COMM $10,213.54 —
CCO, Inc. WORKERSCOMPPPO $10,213.54 —
Optum Health COMM $11,362.56 —
Optum Transplant COMM $11,745.57 —
Optum Health MCD $12,766.92 —

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) CT Scan (with contrast) at other Missouri hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
RESEARCH PSYCHIATRIC CENTER Kansas City not published $103.19 – $404.72
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital - Lake Saint Louis Lake Saint Louis $1,018.60 $168.10 – $657.99
SSM Health DePaul Hospital - St. Louis Bridgeton $1,018.60 $168.10 – $657.99
SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital Saint Louis $1,576.85 $172.17 – $821.67
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital- Wentzville Wentzville $1,018.60 $168.10 – $657.99
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital - St. Charles Saint Charles $1,018.60 $168.10 – $657.99
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - St. Louis Richmond Heights $1,018.60 $168.10 – $657.99
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Jefferson City Jefferson City $998.58 $174.72 – $316.23

All Missouri hospitals for this procedure →