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PricedCare

MRI of the brain, with and without contrast in Phoenix, AZ costs $8 to $2,256. Here's every hospital's price.

17 hospitals in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area, 17 hospitals list a cash price for mri of the brain, with and without contrast (CPT 70553). The lowest is $8 at Chandler Regional Medical Center, the median is $535 and the highest is $2,256 at St Josephs Hospital and Medical Center. The most expensive hospital lists 279 times the cheapest for the same code.

The Phoenix, AZ median of $535 is 75% below the national median of $2,176 across 1518 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

18 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $10 to $5,892. 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 2026 and September 2026. 24 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.

$8
lowest cash price in Phoenix, AZ
Chandler Regional Medical Center · 14 mi
$527 below the median
$535
median cash price
17 hospitals
279×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
17/42
hospitals with a cash price
24 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
Chandler Regional Medical Center

Chandler · 14 mi · File Sep 2026

$8
list $29 · lowest of 10 lines
2
Banner Casa Grande Medical Center

Casa Grande · 30 mi · File Sep 2026

$430
list $3,006 · lowest of 2 lines
3
Banner - University Medical Center Phoenix

Phoenix · 19 mi · File Sep 2026

$478
list $3,006 · lowest of 2 lines
4
Banner Heart Hospital

Mesa · 27 mi · File Sep 2026

$478
list $3,006 · lowest of 2 lines
5
Banner Boswell Medical Center

Sun City · 31 mi · File Sep 2026

$496
list $3,006 · lowest of 2 lines
6
Banner Ironwood Medical Center

Queen Creek · 29 mi · File Sep 2026

$496
list $3,006 · lowest of 2 lines
7
Banner Baywood Medical Center

Mesa · 27 mi · File Sep 2026

$499
list $3,006 · lowest of 2 lines
8
Banner Gateway Medical Center

Gilbert · 24 mi · File Sep 2026

$511
list $3,006 · lowest of 2 lines
9
Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center

Sun City West · 37 mi · File Sep 2026

$535
list $3,006 · lowest of 8 lines
10
Banner Estrella Medical Center

Phoenix · 23 mi · File Sep 2026

$535
list $3,006 · lowest of 2 lines
11
Banner Ocotillo Medical Center

Chandler · 14 mi · File Sep 2026

$538
list $3,006 · lowest of 2 lines
12
Banner Thunderbird Medical Center

Glendale · 30 mi · File Sep 2026

$595
list $3,006 · lowest of 2 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 Phoenix, AZ 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