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PricedCare

MRI of the brain, with and without contrast in Seattle, WA costs $647 to $3,368. Here's every hospital's price.

13 hospitals in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area, 13 hospitals list a cash price for mri of the brain, with and without contrast (CPT 70553). The lowest is $647 at St Clare Hospital, the median is $1,152 and the highest is $3,368 at Cascade Valley Hospital. The most expensive hospital lists 5.2 times the cheapest for the same code.

The Seattle, WA median of $1,152 is 47% below the national median of $2,156 across 545 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

13 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $10 to $8,780. 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 April 2026. 14 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.

$647
lowest cash price in Seattle, WA
St Clare Hospital · 39 mi
$505 below the median
$1,152
median cash price
13 hospitals
5.2×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
13/27
hospitals with a cash price
14 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
St Clare Hospital

Lakewood · 39 mi · File Feb 2026

$647
list $2,244 · lowest of 4 lines
2
St Anthony Hospital

Gig Harbor · 38 mi · File Feb 2026

$682
list $2,244 · lowest of 4 lines
3
Highline Medical Center

Burien · 24 mi · File Feb 2026

$685
list $2,244 · lowest of 4 lines
4
St Francis Community Hospital

Federal Way · 27 mi · File Feb 2026

$704
list $2,244 · lowest of 4 lines
5
St Joseph Medical Center

Tacoma · 33 mi · File Feb 2026

$743
list $2,244 · lowest of 4 lines
6
St Elizabeth Hospital

Enumclaw · 21 mi · File Feb 2026

$793
list $2,244 · lowest of 4 lines
7
Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill

Seattle · 24 mi · File Apr 2026

$1,152
list $2,399 · lowest of 2 lines
8
Swedish Issaquah

Issaquah · 9 mi · File Apr 2026

$1,152
list $2,399 · lowest of 2 lines
9
Overlake Hospital Medical Center & Clinics

Bellevue · 19 mi · File Apr 2026

$1,229
list $2,457
10
Virginia Mason Medical Center

Seattle · 24 mi · File Jan 2026

$1,476
list $2,895 · lowest of 2 lines
11
Valley Medical Center

Renton · 18 mi · File Mar 2026

$1,682
list $2,403 · lowest of 2 lines
12
Providence Regional Medical Center Everett

Everett · 39 mi · File Apr 2026

$2,336
list $4,492 · 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 Seattle, WA 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