CPT 70470: CT Head/Brain Without and With Contrast
CPT code 70470 represents a diagnostic CT of the head or brain performed first without contrast and then with contrast, used to detect intracranial pathology such as hemorrhage, mass lesions, and vascular abnormalities. This code is clinically important nationwide because it is a common, high-utilization imaging study that directly impacts acute neurologic diagnosis and triage, including emergency and inpatient settings.
Key payers covered in this analysis include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare. Readers will find a concise review of clinical context for use of the code, common accompanying diagnoses, coding relationships to related head CT procedures, and payer coverage considerations. The publication summarizes typical sites of service and service type, highlights relevant ICD-10 diagnoses commonly associated with this code, and identifies related CPT head CT codes for appropriate selection.
This summary provides clinicians, coders, and administrators with an overview of what 70470 represents, where it is typically performed, and the principal diagnostic indications that prompt use of the code. Data not available in the input regarding utilization rates and payer-specific reimbursement benchmarks is noted where applicable.
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Billing Code Overview
CPT code 70470 describes a computed tomography (CT) scan of the head or brain performed first without contrast and then with contrast, including acquisition of additional images. The procedure is used to evaluate intracranial structures and identify abnormalities such as hemorrhage, mass, vascular lesions, or other structural pathology.
Service Type: Diagnostic imaging — CT of head/brain with and without contrast
Typical Site of Service: Hospital radiology department or outpatient imaging center (radiology suite)
National Reimbursement Benchmarks
National mean rates cluster with Medicare at $120 and BUCA (average commercial) at $480.30, placing BUCA about $360.30 higher than Medicare on average; this highlights a substantial split between government and commercial pricing for CPT 70470. Blue Cross Blue Shield ($703.40 mean) and Aetna ($149.20 mean) sit on opposite sides of that gap, with UnitedHealth Group ($198.30 mean) and Cigna ($200.80 mean) nearer to Aetna and Medicare than to BUCA or Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Dispersion measured by the interquartile range (P75–P25) is widest for Blue Cross Blue Shield at $535.40 (P75 $825.10 minus P25 $571.70), followed by BUCA at $220.00 (P75 $577.20 minus P25 $365.60). The tightest spreads are Cigna at $181.40 and UnitedHealth Group at $150.90, with Aetna showing a moderate spread of $134.50 and Medicare a spread of $105.50, indicating more predictable regional Medicare reimbursements compared with many commercial payers.