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Head CT scan (with contrast) at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital

3600 Joseph Siewick Drive Fairfax, VA 22033-1709, VA · Inova · · NPI 1760513980

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

$853.00

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.

$1,706.00

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.

$178.02 with united vs $1,739.00 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 medicare advantage $178.02 ↓ -79%
anthem medicare advantage $178.02 ↓ -79%
aetna medicare advantage $178.02 ↓ -79%
sentara health medicare advantage $181.58 ↓ -79%
kaiser medicare advantage $185.14 ↓ -78%
cigna medicare advantage $185.14 ↓ -78%
humana medicare advantage $195.82 ↓ -77%
united options $410.47 ↓ -52%
united exchange $410.47 ↓ -52%
united nonoptions $410.47 ↓ -52%
anthem exchange hmo $417.69 ↓ -51%
anthem medicaid advantage $461.67 ↓ -46%
united medicaid advantage $470.90 ↓ -45%
sentara health medicaid advantage $475.52 ↓ -44%
humana medicaid advantage $480.14 ↓ -44%
anthem hmo $481.45 ↓ -44%
anthem ppo $481.45 ↓ -44%
aetna medicaid advantage $484.75 ↓ -43%
kaiser medicaid advantage $507.84 ↓ -40%
carefirst hmo $1,019.78 ↑ +20%
sentara health exchange $1,044.19 ↑ +22%
carefirst ppo $1,106.42 ↑ +30%
kaiser ppo $1,330.68 ↑ +56%
kaiser hmo $1,330.68 ↑ +56%
sentara health hmo $1,373.81 ↑ +61%
sentara health ppo $1,373.81 ↑ +61%
innovation fully insured $1,432.00 ↑ +68%
cigna hmo $1,453.63 ↑ +70%
cigna exchange $1,453.63 ↑ +70%
cigna ppo $1,453.63 ↑ +70%
aetna fannie-mae $1,486.66 ↑ +74%
innovation self insured $1,724.00 ↑ +102%
aetna hmo $1,739.00 ↑ +104%
aetna ppo $1,739.00 ↑ +104%

Visitor-reported prices

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Head CT scan (with contrast) at other Virginia hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church $853.00 $178.02 – $1,432.00
Inova Alexandria Hospital Alexandria $853.00 $178.02 – $1,432.00
Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg $853.00 $178.02 – $1,432.00
Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria $853.00 $178.02 – $1,432.00

All Virginia hospitals for this procedure →