Skip to main content
PricedCare

MRI of the brain, with and without contrast in Phoenix, AZ costs $520 to $1,490. Here's every hospital's price.

13 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, 13 hospitals list a cash price for mri of the brain, with and without contrast (CPT 70553). The lowest is $520 at Banner Casa Grande Medical Center, the median is $618 and the highest is $1,490 at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. The most expensive hospital lists 2.9 times the cheapest for the same code.

The Phoenix, AZ median of $618 is 71% below the national median of $2,156 across 545 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

14 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $73 to $4,820. 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 May 2026. 28 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.

$520
lowest cash price in Phoenix, AZ
Banner Casa Grande Medical Center · 30 mi
$98 below the median
$618
median cash price
13 hospitals
2.9×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
13/42
hospitals with a cash price
28 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
Banner Casa Grande Medical Center

Casa Grande · 30 mi · File Mar 2026

$520
list $3,636 · lowest of 4 lines
2
Banner - University Medical Center Phoenix

Phoenix · 19 mi · File Mar 2026

$578
list $3,636 · lowest of 4 lines
3
Banner Heart Hospital

Mesa · 27 mi · File Mar 2026

$578
list $3,636 · lowest of 4 lines
4
Banner Boswell Medical Center

Sun City · 31 mi · File Mar 2026

$600
list $3,636 · lowest of 4 lines
5
Banner Ironwood Medical Center

Queen Creek · 29 mi · File Mar 2026

$600
list $3,636 · lowest of 4 lines
6
Banner Baywood Medical Center

Mesa · 27 mi · File Mar 2026

$604
list $3,636 · lowest of 4 lines
7
Banner Gateway Medical Center

Gilbert · 24 mi · File May 2026

$618
list $3,636 · lowest of 4 lines
8
Banner Del E. Webb Medical Center

Sun City West · 37 mi · File Mar 2026

$647
list $3,636 · lowest of 4 lines
9
Banner Estrella Medical Center

Phoenix · 23 mi · File Mar 2026

$647
list $3,636 · lowest of 4 lines
10
Banner Ocotillo Medical Center

Chandler · 14 mi · File Mar 2026

$651
list $3,636 · lowest of 4 lines
11
Banner Thunderbird Medical Center

Glendale · 30 mi · File Mar 2026

$720
list $3,636 · lowest of 4 lines
12
Banner Desert Medical Center

Mesa · 18 mi · File Mar 2026

$774
list $3,636 · lowest of 4 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