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PricedCare

MRI of the brain, with and without contrast in Los Angeles, CA costs $446 to $10,021. Here's every hospital's price.

42 hospitals in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, 42 hospitals list a cash price for mri of the brain, with and without contrast (CPT 70553). The lowest is $446 at Saint Francis Medical Center, the median is $2,967 and the highest is $10,021 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The most expensive hospital lists 22 times the cheapest for the same code.

The Los Angeles, CA median of $2,967 is 37% above the national median of $2,163 across 1518 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

45 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $311 to $14,761. 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 November 2025 and September 2026. 55 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.

$446
lowest cash price in Los Angeles, CA
Saint Francis Medical Center · 13 mi
$2,521 below the median
$2,967
median cash price
42 hospitals
22×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
42/100
hospitals with a cash price
55 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
Saint Francis Medical Center

Lynwood · 13 mi · File Sep 2026

$446
list $3,437
2
Encino Hospital Medical Center

Encino · 18 mi · File Sep 2026

$446
list $4,544
3
Garden Grove Hospital & Medical Center

Garden Grove · 28 mi · File Sep 2026

$446
list $9,097
4
West Anaheim Medical Center

Anaheim · 22 mi · File Sep 2026

$446
list $9,097
5
Huntington Beach Hospital

Huntington Beach · 30 mi · File Sep 2026

$446
list $9,097
6
La Palma Intercommunity Hospital

La Palma · 20 mi · File Sep 2026

$446
list $9,097
7
San Dimas Community Hospital

San Dimas · 20 mi · File Sep 2026

$446
list $8,454
8
Centinela Hospital Medical Center

Inglewood · 15 mi · File Sep 2026

$446
list $3,370
9
Sherman Oaks Hospital

Sherman Oaks · 16 mi · File Sep 2026

$446
list $2,800 · lowest of 2 lines
10
Providence Cedars Sinai Tarzana Medical Center

Tarzana · 20 mi · File Apr 2026

$1,136
list $3,246 · lowest of 2 lines
11
Providence Holy Cross Medical Center

Mission Hills · 20 mi · File Apr 2026

$1,200
list $3,428 · lowest of 2 lines
12
L A Downtown Medical Center

Los Angeles · 5 mi · File Apr 2026

$1,484
list $1,484
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 Los Angeles, CA 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