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PricedCare

MRI of the brain, with and without contrast in Riverside, CA costs $446 to $13,802. Here's every hospital's price.

14 hospitals in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area, 14 hospitals list a cash price for mri of the brain, with and without contrast (CPT 70553). The lowest is $446 at Chino Valley Medical Center, the median is $3,243 and the highest is $13,802 at Riverside University Health System-Medical Center. The most expensive hospital lists 31 times the cheapest for the same code.

The Riverside, CA median of $3,243 is 49% above the national median of $2,183 across 554 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

14 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $221 to $28,553. 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 February 2026 and September 2026. 20 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 Riverside, CA
Chino Valley Medical Center · 95 mi
$2,797 below the median
$3,243
median cash price
14 hospitals
31×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
14/34
hospitals with a cash price
20 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
Chino Valley Medical Center

Chino · 95 mi · File Sep 2026

$446
list $8,454
2
Desert Valley Hospital

Victorville · 66 mi · File Sep 2026

$446
list $6,238
3
Montclair Hospital Medical Center

Montclair · 95 mi · File Sep 2026

$446
list $8,454
4
Providence St Mary Medical Center

Apple Valley · 57 mi · File Apr 2026

$1,303
list $2,714 · lowest of 11 lines
5
San Antonio Regional Hospital

Upland · 91 mi · File Apr 2026

$1,461
list $15,539
6
Kaiser Foundation Hospital Fontana/Ontario

Fontana · 81 mi · File Apr 2026

$3,068
list $5,900 · lowest of 2 lines
7
Loma Linda University Children's Hospital

Loma Linda · 73 mi · File Sep 2026

$3,243
list $7,207 · lowest of 4 lines
8
St Bernardine Medical Center

San Bernardino · 71 mi · File Feb 2026

$3,705
list $11,127 · lowest of 4 lines
9
Hemet Global Medical Center

Hemet · 72 mi · File Jun 2026

$4,323
list $4,323 · lowest of 4 lines
10
Menifee Global Medical Center

Sun City · 82 mi · File May 2026

$4,323
list $4,323 · lowest of 8 lines
11
Loma Linda University Medical Center

Loma Linda · 73 mi · File Sep 2026

$5,884
list $13,075 · lowest of 4 lines
12
Victor Valley Global Medical Center

Victorville · 66 mi · File May 2026

$5,904
list $5,904 · 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 Riverside, 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