Skip to main content
PricedCare

MRI of the brain, with and without contrast in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD costs $343 to $12,733. Here's every hospital's price.

20 hospitals in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, 20 hospitals list a cash price for mri of the brain, with and without contrast (CPT 70553). The lowest is $343 at Lower Bucks Hospital, the median is $1,237 and the highest is $12,733 at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The most expensive hospital lists 37 times the cheapest for the same code.

The Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $1,237 is 43% below the national median of $2,156 across 545 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

25 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $127 to $11,460. 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 September 2025 and September 2026. 26 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.

$343
lowest cash price in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Lower Bucks Hospital · 28 mi
$894 below the median
$1,237
median cash price
20 hospitals
37×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
20/51
hospitals with a cash price
26 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
Lower Bucks Hospital

Bristol · 28 mi · File Sep 2026

$343
list $4,633
2
Roxborough Memorial Hospital

Philadelphia · 11 mi · File Sep 2026

$356
list $5,463 · lowest of 3 lines
3
Rothman Orthopaedic Specialty Hospital

Bensalem · 24 mi · File Apr 2026

$371
list $4,636
4
Jefferson Abington Hospital

Abington · 18 mi · File Mar 2026

$378
list $1,530 · lowest of 2 lines
5
Jefferson Lansdale Hospital

Lansdale · 25 mi · File Mar 2026

$402
list $6,289 · lowest of 2 lines
6
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

Philadelphia · 9 mi · File Mar 2026

$412
list $5,511 · lowest of 2 lines
7
Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital

Philadelphia · 13 mi · File Dec 2025

$419
· lowest of 2 lines
8
Jefferson Einstein Montgomery Hospital

East Norriton · 18 mi · File Dec 2025

$419
· lowest of 2 lines
9
Jefferson Stratford Hospital

Stratford · 17 mi · File Mar 2026

$451
list $3,495 · lowest of 2 lines
10
Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital

Camden · 12 mi · File Apr 2026

$1,237
list $12,368 · lowest of 2 lines
11
Virtua Mount Holly Hospital

Mount Holly · 28 mi · File Apr 2026

$1,237
list $12,368
12
Virtua Willingboro Hospital

Willingboro · 25 mi · File Apr 2026

$1,237
list $12,368
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 Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD 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