Head MRA (brain vessels) cost in Birmingham, AL
In Birmingham, AL, 8 hospitals list a cash price for MR angiography (MRA) of the head without contrast: from $1,489.65 to $6,964.00, with a median of $3,622.75. The lowest listed price is at Grandview Medical Center — $2,133.10 less than the median here. Across Alabama, the median is $1,600.26 at 42 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 4 cities for code 70544, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Jun 22, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Birmingham, AL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grandview Medical Center lowest Birmingham, AL · (205) 971-1000 MRA-HEAD WO | $1,489.65 | $9,931.00 | $155.24–$8,937.90 | 85% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Children's Hospital of Alabama Birmingham, AL HC Angio Head, MR | $1,751.15 | $4,072.44 | $2,769.26–$3,665.20 | 57% | — source file |
| The Children's Hospital of Alabama – Benjamin Russell Hospital Birmingham, AL · (205) 939-9100 HC Angio Head, MR | $1,751.15 | $4,072.44 | $2,769.26–$3,665.20 | 57% | — source file |
| The Children's Hospital of Alabama – Benjamin Russell Hospital Birmingham, AL · (205) 939-9100 HC Angio Head, MR | $1,751.15 | $4,072.44 | $48.95–$2,443.46 | 57% | — source file |
| UAB Medical West Bessemer, AL · (205) 481-7000 MRA Head Wo/Cont | $2,203.50 | $2,938.00 | $216.07–$2,644.20 | 25% | Jun 22, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital Birmingham, AL · (205) 877-1000 Hb Mr Angio, Head - Mr Head Angio Wo Iv Contrast | $5,042.00 | $5,042.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Shelby Hospital Alabaster, AL · (205) 620-8100 Hb Mr Angio, Head - Mr Head Angio Wo Iv Contrast | $6,964.00 | $6,964.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Princeton Hospital Birmingham, AL · (205) 783-3800 Hb Mr Angio, Head - Mr Head Angio Wo Iv Contrast | $6,964.00 | $6,964.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Walker Hospital Jasper, AL · (205) 387-4000 Hb Mr Angio, Head - Mr Head Angio Wo Iv Contrast | $6,964.00 | $6,964.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,489.65, median $3,622.75, highest $6,964.00 — a 4.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $3,712.72. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 4 of 4 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 2 it is below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
A head MRA uses an MRI scanner to show the arteries of the brain without contrast dye. It is used to look for aneurysms, narrowed arteries after a stroke and blood vessel malformations.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the scan. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.