Decision Support Tools

Place of service cost comparisons

Some services and procedures, such as MRIs, can be performed in a doctor's office or in an outpatient facility. Using this chart, you can research these types of services and the costs associated with having them performed at various facilities.

The costs reported represent the billed charge or retail price for services and do not reflect member benefits or negotiated provider discounts through your health insurance policy.

Average costs for place of service include both hospital and doctor charges.

Average Cost by Place of Service
Place of Service	Average Cost	Total Cost Ranges
		Low	High
Emergency Room Visit	$1,029	$361	$1,262
Urgent Care Center Visit	$194	$104	$235
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) - in Hospital	$1,794	$1,458	$2,090
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) - in Doctor's Office	$1,358	$1,100	$1,485
CT Scan (Computed Tomography) - in Hospital	$1,186	$886	$1,364
CT Scan (Computed Tomography) - in Doctor's Office	$722	$575	$896
Chest X-Ray - in Hospital	$179	$131	$181
Chest X-Ray - in Doctor's Office	$86	$74	$100

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Finding an in-network provider is easy with our online provider directory. Select your health plan and search by speciality to find a doctor that suits your needs.

Please note the following for all data contained within these reports:

1. This information should not replace the advice and/or direction of a health care provider. You should work with your doctor/health care provider to explore all of your treatment options and make an informed decision about your health care.
2. Data reported is based on average hospital and professional billed charges from BCBSNC claims experience.
3. Excludes outliers (unusually high or low cases).
4. Each hospital or professional provider determines billed charges for services.
5. BCBSNC negotiates discounted rates with providers that are not reflected in this data.
6. Member liability (out of pocket costs) is dependent on services received, benefits, negotiated rates for a hospital or professional provider and the billed charges for a hospital or professional provider.
7. Ranges displayed are between the 25th (Low) and 75th (High) percentiles.
8. The length of stay (hospital days) reported is an average. A patient's actual length of stay can vary based on the complexity of the case, as can the length of stay that will be covered by insurance. The information reported does not represent the length of stay that may be recommended by your physician or authorized by BCBSNC.
9. This information is not intended to suggest any health care service or treatment approach is necessary/unnecessary or better/worse than any other service or treatment approach.
10. Is not intended to report the member, provider or payer actual cost for any specific service or episode of care. The costs reported represent the billed charge, or retail price, for services, and do not reflect member benefits or negotiated provider discounts through your health insurance policy. Facility and professional billed charges vary from provider to provider.