Scans and imaging CPT 70498 Outpatient

Neck CT angiogram (CTA) cost in Merced, CA

In Merced, CA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for CT angiography (CTA) of the neck: from $1,222.61 to $5,528.00, with a median of $3,375.31. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Medical Center — $2,152.70 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,964.00 at 209 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 70498, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 28, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026.

Lowest$1,222.61Mercy Medical Center

Median$3,375.31half of hospitals charge less

Highest$5,528.00in this market

Difference4.5×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 Merced, CA.

median

Lowest $1,222.61Highest $5,528.00

Hospitals, cheapest first

Hospital	Cash price	List price	Insurers pay	Off list
Mercy Medical Center lowest Merced, CA · (209) 564-5000 CT ANGIO NECK W CON File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file	$1,222.61	$2,374.00	$226.19–$3,716.00	49%
Memorial Hospital Los Banos Los Banos, CA · (209) 826-0591 HCHG CTA NECK W AND WO CONTR File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file	$5,528.00	$5,528.00	—	—

Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.

Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More

List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More

Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More

Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.

No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More

Outpatient: lowest $1,222.61, median $3,375.31, highest $5,528.00 — a 4.5× difference within the same market.

As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $3,939.49. 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 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 neck CTA uses contrast dye and CT scanning to show the carotid and vertebral arteries in the neck. It is used after a stroke or mini-stroke and to check narrowing found on an ultrasound.

What the price covers

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