How much does MRI brain, without contrast cost in California?
CPT 70551 — the fair price, every hospital's price, and the Medicare benchmark for California.
Estimates only. Educational estimates from public Medicare
benchmarks and hospital-published prices — not a guarantee, and not legal, medical, or financial advice.
70551 MRI brain, without contrast
Ask to pay
$483
About 2.0× what Medicare pays — most hospitals accept a self-pay rate in this range.
Typical
$2,634
Medicare $242
Ask $483
$41 lowboxed = typical rangehigh $20,680
What Medicare paysⓘ
$242
Typical price near you
$2,634
Cash / self-pay price
$2,992
Prices near you — 91 facilities, lowest first
| Facility | Type | Price | vs Medicare | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adventist Health Bakersfield (Bakersfield) lowest ⚠ likely error | Hospital | $41cash | 0.2× | — |
| Eisenhower Medical Center (Rancho Mirage) | Hospital | $152cash | 0.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Natividad Medical Center (Salinas) | Hospital | $231cash | 1.0× | — |
| Centinela Hospital Medical Center (Inglewood) | Hospital | $305cash | 1.3× | — |
| Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (Torrance) | Hospital | $308negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Los Angeles General Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $310negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center (Santa Monica) | Hospital | $322negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $324negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach) | Hospital | $376negotiated | 1.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (Pomona) | Hospital | $500cash | 2.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Dominican Hospital (Santa Cruz) | Hospital | $711cash | 2.9× | — |
| Providence St. Mary Medical Center (Apple Valley) | Hospital | $732cash | 3.0× | — |
| Adventist Health Simi Valley (Simi Valley) | Hospital | $817cash | 3.4× | — |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas (Encinitas) | Hospital | $913cash | 3.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla) | Hospital | $913cash | 3.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $913cash | 3.8× | — |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego (San Diego) | Hospital | $913cash | 3.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (La Jolla) | Hospital | $913cash | 3.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity St. Joseph's Medical Center (Stockton) | Hospital | $1,078cash | 4.5× | — |
| Dignity Mercy General Hospital (Sacramento) | Hospital | $1,236cash | 5.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Adventist Health Glendale (Glendale) | Hospital | $1,268cash | 5.2× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos) | Hospital | $1,431cash | 5.9× | — |
| UCI Health – Placentia Linda (Placentia) | Hospital | $1,431cash | 5.9× | — |
| UCI Medical Center (Orange) | Hospital | $1,431cash | 5.9× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Fountain Valley (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $1,431cash | 5.9× | — |
| Dignity Mercy San Juan Medical Center (Carmichael) | Hospital | $1,554cash | 6.4× | — |
| UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $1,719cash | 7.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Adventist Health White Memorial (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $1,752cash | 7.2× | — |
| UC San Diego Health - Hillcrest & Jacobs Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $1,774cash | 7.3× | — |
| Dignity Northridge Hospital Medical Center (Northridge) | Hospital | $1,949cash | 8.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center (Tarzana) | Hospital | $1,953cash | 8.1× | ★★★★★ |
| UC Davis Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $2,007cash | 8.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Little Company of Mary Torrance (Torrance) | Hospital | $2,070cash | 8.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity St. Mary Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $2,081cash | 8.6× | — |
| Tri-City Medical Center (Oceanside) | Hospital | $2,169cash | 9.0× | — |
| Dignity Bakersfield Memorial Hospital (Bakersfield) | Hospital | $2,175cash | 9.0× | — |
| Dignity St. Bernardine Medical Center (San Bernardino) | Hospital | $2,219cash | 9.2× | — |
| USC Arcadia Hospital (Arcadia) | Hospital | $2,296cash | 9.5× | — |
| Providence Mission Hospital (Mission Viejo) | Hospital | $2,491cash | 10.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity St. John's Regional Medical Center (Oxnard) | Hospital | $2,534cash | 10.5× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center (Fontana) | Hospital | $2,600cash | 10.8× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Diego Zion Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $2,600cash | 10.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $2,600cash | 10.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Highland Hospital – Alameda Health System (Oakland) | Hospital | $2,629cash | 10.9× | — |
| Providence St. Joseph Hospital (Orange) | Hospital | $2,638cash | 10.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Glendale Memorial Hospital (Glendale) | Hospital | $2,638cash | 10.9× | — |
| John Muir Health Concord Medical Center (Concord) | Hospital | $2,960cash | 12.2× | — |
| John Muir Health Walnut Creek Medical Center (Walnut Creek) | Hospital | $2,960cash | 12.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Holy Cross Medical Center (Mission Hills) | Hospital | $3,023cash | 12.5× | — |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $3,036cash | 12.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Grossmont Hospital (La Mesa) | Hospital | $3,036cash | 12.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $3,036cash | 12.6× | — |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital (Coronado) | Hospital | $3,036cash | 12.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity California Hospital Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $3,125cash | 12.9× | — |
| Dignity Mercy Medical Center Redding (Redding) | Hospital | $3,149cash | 13.0× | — |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank) | Hospital | $3,412cash | 14.1× | — |
| Rady Children's Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $3,465cash | 14.3× | — |
| Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center (Napa) | Hospital | $3,484cash | 14.4× | — |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $3,543cash | 14.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $3,629cash | 15.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $3,629cash | 15.0× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $3,629cash | 15.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $3,720cash | 15.4× | — |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley (Pleasanton) | Hospital | $3,734cash | 15.4× | — |
| Dignity Sequoia Hospital (Redwood City) | Hospital | $3,827cash | 15.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Community Regional Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $4,064cash | 16.8× | — |
| Clovis Community Medical Center (Clovis) | Hospital | $4,064cash | 16.8× | — |
| Kaweah Health Medical Center (Visalia) | Hospital | $4,110cash | 17.0× | — |
| UCI Health – Lakewood (Lakewood) | Hospital | $4,289cash | 17.7× | — |
| Desert Regional Medical Center (Palm Springs) | Hospital | $4,502cash | 18.6× | — |
| Stanford Health Care (Stanford) | Hospital | $4,698cash | 19.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center (Loma Linda) | Hospital | $4,973cash | 20.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (Oakland) | Hospital | $5,481cash | 22.7× | — |
| Sutter Eden Medical Center (Castro Valley) | Hospital | $5,481cash | 22.7× | — |
| Sutter Roseville Medical Center (Roseville) | Hospital | $5,481cash | 22.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Medical Center Sacramento (Sacramento) | Hospital | $5,481cash | 22.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame) | Hospital | $5,481cash | 22.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter CPMC Van Ness Campus (San Francisco) | Hospital | $5,481cash | 22.7× | — |
| Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $5,481cash | 22.7× | — |
| Sutter Memorial Medical Center (Modesto) | Hospital | $5,481cash | 22.7× | — |
| Providence St. Jude Medical Center (Fullerton) | Hospital | $5,949cash | 24.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford (Palo Alto) | Hospital | $6,147cash | 25.4× | — |
| Keck Hospital of USC (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $7,192cash | 29.8× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center (Laguna Hills) | Hospital | $7,384cash | 30.5× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $7,384cash | 30.5× | — |
| MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $7,384cash | 30.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Los Robles Health System (Thousand Oaks) | Hospital | $7,935cash | 32.8× | — |
| JFK Memorial Hospital (Indio) gross charge | Hospital | $10,729cash | 44.4× | — |
| Riverside University Health System Medical Center (Moreno Valley) gross charge | Hospital | $10,809cash | 44.7× | — |
| Riverside Community Hospital (Riverside) gross charge | Hospital | $13,281cash | 54.9× | — |
| Good Samaritan Hospital (San Jose) gross charge | Hospital | $20,680cash | 85.6× | — |
Prices from each hospital's public machine-readable file; imaging & surgery-center prices are published self-pay rates (often the cheapest option). vs Medicare is how many times the Medicare rate each facility charges. 5 unusually low/high prices excluded from the typical price as likely data errors.
💬 What to say — negotiation scripts
- For 70551 (MRI brain, without contrast), Medicare's benchmark rate is $241.72. A fair self-pay target for this line is $483.44. If I was charged more than that, please reduce it toward this benchmark.
- Your own published cash / self-pay price for 70551 is $2,991.59, and negotiated rates at nearby facilities run $1,430.80–$4,289.20. Please apply a rate in that range to my bill rather than the gross charge.
- Please send a fully itemized bill listing every CPT/HCPCS/DRG code and its individual charge, so I can review each line against published rates.
- Separately, what is your financial assistance / charity care policy, and am I eligible? Please send me the application and the income thresholds.
See MRI brain, without contrast prices in another area
What should 70551 cost in California?
For MRI brain, without contrast (CPT 70551) in California, a fair self-pay price is around $2,634, with hospitals ranging from $1,431 to $4,289 across 91 facilities. Medicare's benchmark rate is $242, the floor to negotiate toward. The card above lists each hospital's price, cheapest first, with CMS quality stars.
Frequently asked questions
How much does MRI brain, without contrast cost in California?
A fair self-pay price for MRI brain, without contrast (CPT 70551) in California is around $2,634, with hospital prices ranging from $1,431 to $4,289 across 91 facilities. These are estimates from hospital-published prices, not a guarantee.
What is the Medicare rate for CPT 70551?
Medicare pays about $242 for MRI brain, without contrast (CPT 70551). That's the negotiation floor — a fair cash-pay target is roughly 1.5–2× it, well below typical gross charges.
Can I negotiate the price of MRI brain, without contrast?
Yes. Under the federal Hospital Price Transparency rule hospitals must publish these rates, so you can ask to pay the cash or negotiated rate instead of the gross charge. Paste your bill on the home page for a ready-to-send appeal letter and the exact numbers to cite.
Got a bill for this?
If you were charged more than the fair price, you can usually negotiate it down. Paste your itemized bill to get a personalized appeal letter, the exact numbers to cite, an AI negotiation coach, and a charity-care eligibility check — free.
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Prices last refreshed September 2026 from each hospital's official CMS machine-readable file. Medicare rate: CY2025 OPPS/PFS/CLFS. Estimates only — not a guarantee.