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PricedCare

MRI of the brain, with and without contrast in Chicago, IL-IN costs $846 to $7,315. Here's every hospital's price.

33 hospitals in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area publish a cash price for mri of the brain, with and without contrast (CPT 70553). We read their files every month so you don't have to.

Across the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, 33 hospitals list a cash price for mri of the brain, with and without contrast (CPT 70553). The lowest is $846 at Humboldt Park Health, the median is $2,575 and the highest is $7,315 at Edward Hospital. The most expensive hospital lists 8.7 times the cheapest for the same code.

The Chicago, IL-IN median of $2,575 is 19% above the national median of $2,156 across 545 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

34 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $64 to $8,500. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which is sometimes higher than the cash price; you may ask for the cash price instead.

The files behind these prices are dated between January 2025 and August 2026. 46 other hospitals in the metro area have no readable price for this code: some publish no file, some block automated reading, some leave the code out. They are listed below so you can call them.

$846
lowest cash price in Chicago, IL-IN
Humboldt Park Health · 12 mi
$1,729 below the median
$2,575
median cash price
33 hospitals
8.7×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
33/82
hospitals with a cash price
46 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
Humboldt Park Health

Chicago · 12 mi · File Aug 2026

$846
list $3,020
2
Loyola Gottlieb Memorial Hospital

Melrose Park · 10 mi · File Mar 2026

$995
list $5,236 · lowest of 8 lines
3
Loyola University Medical Center

Maywood · 7 mi · File Mar 2026

$1,204
list $5,236 · lowest of 8 lines
4
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth La Grange

La Grange · 3 mi · File Apr 2026

$1,350
list $5,400 · lowest of 2 lines
5
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth Hinsdale

Hinsdale · 5 mi · File Apr 2026

$1,350
list $5,400 · lowest of 2 lines
6
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth Glenoaks

Glendale Heights · 16 mi · File Apr 2026

$1,350
list $5,400 · lowest of 2 lines
7
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth Bolingbrook

Bolingbrook · 14 mi · File Apr 2026

$1,350
list $5,400 · lowest of 2 lines
8
Presence Saint Joseph Hospital - Chicago

Chicago · 16 mi · File Jan 2026

$1,404
list $4,255 · lowest of 21 lines
9
Advocate Christ Hospital & Medical Center

Oak Lawn · 6 mi · File Nov 2025

$1,915
list $3,830 · lowest of 16 lines
10
Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers

Morris · 40 mi · File Jun 2026

$2,042
list $8,488
11
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center

Chicago · 16 mi · File Nov 2025

$2,125
list $4,250 · lowest of 8 lines
12
Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital

Barrington · 33 mi · File Nov 2025

$2,240
list $4,480 · lowest of 6 lines
1

What's in the price

The hospital facility fee for CPT 70553. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.

2

Cash vs. insured

Cash is what you pay without insurance. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which can be higher than cash. You may ask for the cash price.

3

What to say on the phone

"I'd like the self-pay price for CPT 70553, in writing, and whether it covers facility, physician and anesthesia."

About mri of the brain, with and without contrast

CPT 70553 is a brain MRI done twice in one session: first without and then with a contrast injection. It is used for tumors, multiple sclerosis, infections and unexplained neurological symptoms. Plan for 45 to 60 minutes in the scanner.

What the price covers

The hospital's price is the technical fee: the MRI machine, the technologist, the contrast agent and the room. The radiologist's reading is billed separately. Sedation, if you need it for claustrophobia, is another separate charge.

The three brain MRI codes

  • 70551: without contrast
  • 70552: with contrast only
  • 70553: with and without contrast (this page)

70553 is the most expensive of the three because it takes longest. If the ordering doctor only needs a non-contrast study, 70551 is usually 20 to 40 percent cheaper.

Why prices vary

MRI pricing at hospitals routinely spans three to eight times within a single metro. Hospital-owned outpatient imaging centers list lower than the main campus, and freestanding imaging centers are typically lower still. Cash prices at hospitals are often close to what insurers pay, and sometimes below.

Questions to ask

  • What is the self-pay price for 70553, technical fee only?
  • What does the radiologist reading cost?
  • Is a non-contrast study (70551) sufficient for what my doctor is looking for?
  • Do you have an outpatient imaging location with a lower price?

Hospitals in Chicago, IL-IN without a price for this procedure

Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.

Questions people ask