Scans and imaging CPT 70496 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Head CT angiogram (CTA) cost in New Orleans, LA — inpatient

In New Orleans-Metairie, LA, 6 hospitals list a cash price for CT angiography (CTA) of the head as an inpatient: from $400.32 to $1,120.75, with a median of $632.66. The lowest listed price is at St Bernard Parish Hospital — $232.34 less than the median here. Across Louisiana, the median is $697.55 at 54 hospitals.

Cash prices at 6 facilities across 5 cities for code 70496, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.

Lowest$400.32St Bernard Parish Hospital
Median$632.66half pay less
Highest$1,120.75in this market
Difference2.8×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in New Orleans-Metairie, LA.

median
Lowest $400.32Highest $1,120.75

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
St Bernard Parish Hospital lowest Chalmette, LA · (504) 826-9500 HC CTA HEAD CONTRAST $400.32 $1,251.00 — 68% —
source file
Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC CTA HEAD CONTRAST $497.56 $1,777.00 — 72% —
source file
Ochsner Clinic Foundation New Orleans, LA · (504) 842-3000 HC CTA HEAD CONTRAST $623.26 $2,833.00 — 78% —
source file
St Charles Parish Hospital Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 HC CTA HEAD CONTRAST $642.06 $2,378.00 — 73% —
source file
The Ochsner West Campus Extended Care Hospital Jefferson, LA HC CTA HEAD CONTRAST $838.42 $2,266.00 — 63% —
source file
St Charles Surgical Hospital New Orleans, LA · (504) 529-6600 CTA HEAD $1,120.75 $3,178.00 $160.55–$1,455.52 65% —
source file

Inpatient: lowest $400.32, median $632.66, highest $1,120.75 — a 2.8× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 14 facilities here, median $532.38 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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

A head CTA uses contrast dye and fast CT scanning to show the blood vessels of the brain. It is used in suspected stroke, for aneurysms and for sudden severe headache.

What the price covers

The hospital price usually covers the scan and any contrast dye. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.