CT scans are fast, cheap to perform, and wildly overpriced at hospital outpatient departments. In Tampa, the same head CT costs $200 at one facility and $2,800 at another billed to the same insurer. Most people never know they can choose.
ER CT scans are not shoppable. Outpatient CT scans are.
If you get a CT scan in the emergency room, you have no say in where it happens. If your doctor orders a CT scan as a follow-up or for non-urgent evaluation, you can choose your facility.
The distinction matters because hospital outpatient departments charge many times more than freestanding imaging centers for the identical scan.
With contrast adds cost and a second bill
A CT with contrast requires IV dye, which adds to the facility fee. The radiologist who interprets the scan also bills separately, and contrast reads are often billed at a higher rate.
For many head CT indications, a non-contrast scan is clinically sufficient. Ask your doctor whether contrast is specifically required for what they are evaluating.
Finding a cheaper facility takes one phone call
Call your insurer's member line and ask for in-network imaging centers that perform CT scans. Compare their allowed amounts to what this tool shows for the hospital options.
For an outpatient head CT, you can often cut your cost in half by choosing a freestanding center instead of a hospital outpatient department.