Head CT without and with contrast cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 12 hospitals list a cash price for CT scan of the head without and with contrast: from $246.35 to $2,754.72, with a median of $1,887.13. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital Lincoln — $1,640.78 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $1,583.08 at 24 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 10 cities for code 70470, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 24, 2026 and Apr 24, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 CT Head/Brain W/WO Cont Pf | $246.35 | $379.00 | $24.64–$379.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 CT-HEAD WWO | $408.55 | $680.91 | $680.91 | 40% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO CT Head/Brain W/WO Cont | $1,542.45 | $2,373.00 | $151.76–$417.44 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO CT Head/Brain W/WO Cont | $1,542.45 | $2,373.00 | $154.25–$2,135.70 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 CT Head/Brain W/WO Cont | $1,547.00 | $2,380.00 | $151.76–$304.07 | 35% | — source file |
| Shriners Childrens - St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 432-3600 CT HEAD/BRAIN W/O & W/DYE | $1,847.00 | $1,847.00 | $146.48–$445.05 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 CT Head/Brain W/WO Cont | $1,849.90 | $2,846.00 | $525.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO CT Head/Brain W/WO Cont | $1,927.25 | $2,965.00 | $192.73–$2,965.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Ranken Jordan Home for Convalescent Crippled Children Hospital Maryland Heights, MO · (314) 872-6400 CT Head or Brain w/ + w/o Contrast | $2,036.32 | $2,545.40 | — | 20% | Apr 24, 2026 source file |
| St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL HC CT HEAD/BRAIN W&W/O CONTRAST | $2,224.08 | $3,089.00 | $178.01–$3,089.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL · (618) 526-4511 HC CT HEAD/BRAIN W&W/O CONTRAST | $2,286.72 | $3,176.00 | $187.96–$3,176.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL · (618) 651-2600 HC CT HEAD/BRAIN W&W/O CONTRAST | $2,587.68 | $3,594.00 | $613.20–$3,594.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 HC CT HEAD/BRAIN W&W/O CONTRAST | $2,754.72 | $3,826.00 | $187.96–$3,826.00 | 28% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $246.35, median $1,887.13, highest $2,754.72 — a 11.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $2,255.40. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 8 of 11 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
This head CT takes images first without contrast dye and then with it, to compare the two.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the scan and the contrast dye. The radiologist's reading may be billed separately.