How much does MRI brain, with & without contrast cost in California?
CPT 70553 — 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.
70553 MRI brain, with & without contrast
Ask to pay
$714
About 2.0× what Medicare pays — most hospitals accept a self-pay rate in this range.
Typical
$4,084
Medicare $357
Ask $714
$64 lowboxed = typical rangehigh $39,916
What Medicare paysⓘ
$357
Typical price near you
$4,084
Cash / self-pay price
$4,286
Prices near you — 91 facilities, lowest first
| Facility | Type | Price | vs Medicare | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adventist Health Bakersfield (Bakersfield) lowest ⚠ likely error | Hospital | $64cash | 0.2× | — |
| Adventist Health Glendale (Glendale) ⚠ likely error | Hospital | $70cash | 0.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Eisenhower Medical Center (Rancho Mirage) | Hospital | $222cash | 0.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Natividad Medical Center (Salinas) | Hospital | $357cash | 1.0× | — |
| Centinela Hospital Medical Center (Inglewood) | Hospital | $446cash | 1.2× | — |
| UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center (Santa Monica) | Hospital | $474negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (Torrance) | Hospital | $477negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Los Angeles General Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $482negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $490negotiated | 1.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (Pomona) | Hospital | $600cash | 1.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach) | Hospital | $602negotiated | 1.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Adventist Health Simi Valley (Simi Valley) | Hospital | $1,282cash | 3.6× | — |
| Providence St. Mary Medical Center (Apple Valley) | Hospital | $1,303cash | 3.6× | — |
| Dignity St. Joseph's Medical Center (Stockton) | Hospital | $1,361cash | 3.8× | — |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego (San Diego) | Hospital | $1,476cash | 4.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $1,476cash | 4.1× | — |
| Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla) | Hospital | $1,476cash | 4.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas (Encinitas) | Hospital | $1,476cash | 4.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (La Jolla) | Hospital | $1,476cash | 4.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Mercy General Hospital (Sacramento) | Hospital | $1,892cash | 5.3× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Placentia Linda (Placentia) | Hospital | $1,920cash | 5.4× | — |
| UCI Health – Fountain Valley (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $1,920cash | 5.4× | — |
| UCI Health – Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos) | Hospital | $1,920cash | 5.4× | — |
| UCI Medical Center (Orange) | Hospital | $1,920cash | 5.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Mercy San Juan Medical Center (Carmichael) | Hospital | $2,378cash | 6.7× | — |
| Tri-City Medical Center (Oceanside) | Hospital | $2,409cash | 6.7× | — |
| Adventist Health White Memorial (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $2,544cash | 7.1× | — |
| Providence Little Company of Mary Torrance (Torrance) | Hospital | $2,638cash | 7.4× | ★★★★★ |
| USC Arcadia Hospital (Arcadia) | Hospital | $2,664cash | 7.5× | — |
| Dignity St. Mary Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $2,789cash | 7.8× | — |
| Dignity Glendale Memorial Hospital (Glendale) | Hospital | $2,875cash | 8.1× | — |
| Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center (Tarzana) | Hospital | $2,966cash | 8.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $3,068cash | 8.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center (Fontana) | Hospital | $3,068cash | 8.6× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Diego Zion Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $3,068cash | 8.6× | ★★★★★ |
| UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $3,186cash | 8.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Northridge Hospital Medical Center (Northridge) | Hospital | $3,255cash | 9.1× | ★★★★★ |
| UC Davis Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $3,287cash | 9.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Highland Hospital – Alameda Health System (Oakland) | Hospital | $3,392cash | 9.5× | — |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley (Pleasanton) | Hospital | $3,596cash | 10.1× | — |
| Dignity Bakersfield Memorial Hospital (Bakersfield) | Hospital | $3,629cash | 10.2× | — |
| Dignity St. John's Regional Medical Center (Oxnard) | Hospital | $3,700cash | 10.4× | — |
| Dignity St. Bernardine Medical Center (San Bernardino) | Hospital | $3,705cash | 10.4× | — |
| Dignity Dominican Hospital (Santa Cruz) | Hospital | $3,751cash | 10.5× | — |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank) | Hospital | $3,912cash | 11.0× | — |
| UCI Health – Lakewood (Lakewood) | Hospital | $4,257cash | 11.9× | — |
| John Muir Health Concord Medical Center (Concord) | Hospital | $4,277cash | 12.0× | — |
| John Muir Health Walnut Creek Medical Center (Walnut Creek) | Hospital | $4,277cash | 12.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence St. Joseph Hospital (Orange) | Hospital | $4,295cash | 12.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Grossmont Hospital (La Mesa) | Hospital | $4,562cash | 12.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $4,562cash | 12.8× | — |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital (Coronado) | Hospital | $4,562cash | 12.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $4,562cash | 12.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Holy Cross Medical Center (Mission Hills) | Hospital | $4,591cash | 12.9× | — |
| Dignity Sequoia Hospital (Redwood City) | Hospital | $4,592cash | 12.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Mission Hospital (Mission Viejo) | Hospital | $4,906cash | 13.7× | ★★★★★ |
| UC San Diego Health - Hillcrest & Jacobs Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $4,959cash | 13.9× | — |
| Dignity California Hospital Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $5,219cash | 14.6× | — |
| Dignity Mercy Medical Center Redding (Redding) | Hospital | $5,260cash | 14.7× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $5,499cash | 15.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $5,499cash | 15.4× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $5,499cash | 15.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center (Loma Linda) | Hospital | $5,884cash | 16.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Rady Children's Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $6,106cash | 17.1× | — |
| Kaweah Health Medical Center (Visalia) | Hospital | $6,396cash | 17.9× | — |
| Community Regional Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $6,640cash | 18.6× | — |
| Clovis Community Medical Center (Clovis) | Hospital | $6,640cash | 18.6× | — |
| Stanford Health Care (Stanford) | Hospital | $6,788cash | 19.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $7,324cash | 20.5× | — |
| Providence St. Jude Medical Center (Fullerton) | Hospital | $7,492cash | 21.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford (Palo Alto) | Hospital | $7,818cash | 21.9× | — |
| Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center (Napa) | Hospital | $7,893cash | 22.1× | — |
| Sutter Roseville Medical Center (Roseville) | Hospital | $8,334cash | 23.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (Oakland) | Hospital | $8,334cash | 23.3× | — |
| Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $8,334cash | 23.3× | — |
| Sutter CPMC Van Ness Campus (San Francisco) | Hospital | $8,334cash | 23.3× | — |
| Sutter Eden Medical Center (Castro Valley) | Hospital | $8,334cash | 23.3× | — |
| Sutter Medical Center Sacramento (Sacramento) | Hospital | $8,334cash | 23.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame) | Hospital | $8,334cash | 23.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Memorial Medical Center (Modesto) | Hospital | $8,334cash | 23.3× | — |
| Desert Regional Medical Center (Palm Springs) | Hospital | $9,051cash | 25.3× | — |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $10,021cash | 28.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Keck Hospital of USC (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $10,188cash | 28.5× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center (Laguna Hills) | Hospital | $11,782cash | 33.0× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $11,782cash | 33.0× | — |
| MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $11,782cash | 33.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Riverside University Health System Medical Center (Moreno Valley) | Hospital | $13,802cash | 38.6× | — |
| JFK Memorial Hospital (Indio) | Hospital | $14,980cash | 41.9× | — |
| Los Robles Health System (Thousand Oaks) gross charge | Hospital | $16,246cash | 45.5× | — |
| Riverside Community Hospital (Riverside) gross charge | Hospital | $24,630cash | 69.0× | — |
| Good Samaritan Hospital (San Jose) gross charge | Hospital | $39,916cash | 111.8× | — |
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 70553 (MRI brain, with & without contrast), Medicare's benchmark rate is $357.13. A fair self-pay target for this line is $714.26. If I was charged more than that, please reduce it toward this benchmark.
- Your own published cash / self-pay price for 70553 is $4,285.92, and negotiated rates at nearby facilities run $1,920.00–$7,324.11. 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, with & without contrast prices in another area
What should 70553 cost in California?
For MRI brain, with & without contrast (CPT 70553) in California, a fair self-pay price is around $4,084, with hospitals ranging from $1,920 to $7,324 across 91 facilities. Medicare's benchmark rate is $357, 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, with & without contrast cost in California?
A fair self-pay price for MRI brain, with & without contrast (CPT 70553) in California is around $4,084, with hospital prices ranging from $1,920 to $7,324 across 91 facilities. These are estimates from hospital-published prices, not a guarantee.
What is the Medicare rate for CPT 70553?
Medicare pays about $357 for MRI brain, with & without contrast (CPT 70553). 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, with & 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.