Head MRA (brain vessels) cost in Charlotte, NC
In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 20 hospitals list a cash price for MR angiography (MRA) of the head without contrast: from $547.29 to $5,621.25, with a median of $1,737.00. The lowest listed price is at Iredell Memorial Hospital — $1,189.71 less than the median here. Across North Carolina, the median is $1,737.00 at 66 hospitals.
Cash prices at 20 facilities across 14 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 Dec 1, 2025 and Sep 1, 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iredell Memorial Hospital lowest Statesville, NC · (704) 878-5661 MRA Head w/o Contrast File of Dec 31, 2025 · source file | $547.29 | $2,027.00 | $464.39–$4,054.00 | 73% |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 HC MRA HEAD WO CNTRST+2 more lines at this price source file | $1,283.85 | $4,755.00 | $417.49–$3,090.75 | 73% |
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center Chester, SC · (803) 581-3151 HB MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,396.00 | $2,792.00 | — | 50% |
| Atrium Health University City Charlotte, NC · (704) 548-6000 HC MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST File of Dec 5, 2025 · source file | $1,737.00 | $3,474.00 | $234.50–$3,369.78 | 50% |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST File of Dec 5, 2025 · source file | $1,737.00 | $3,474.00 | $234.50–$3,196.08 | 50% |
| Atrium Health Mercy, a facility of Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC HC MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST File of Dec 4, 2025 · source file | $1,737.00 | $3,474.00 | $234.50–$3,196.08 | 50% |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Belmont, NC HC MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST File of Dec 5, 2025 · source file | $1,737.00 | $3,474.00 | $246.55–$3,196.08 | 50% |
| Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST File of Dec 1, 2025 · source file | $1,737.00 | $3,474.00 | $231.30–$3,300.30 | 50% |
| Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST File of Dec 1, 2025 · source file | $1,737.00 | $3,474.00 | $234.50–$3,300.30 | 50% |
| Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte, NC HC MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST File of Dec 4, 2025 · source file | $1,737.00 | $3,474.00 | $660.06–$3,474.00 | 50% |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte, NC HC MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST File of Dec 5, 2025 · source file | $1,737.00 | $3,474.00 | $246.55–$3,196.08 | 50% |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST File of Dec 1, 2025 · source file | $1,737.00 | $3,474.00 | $234.50–$3,300.30 | 50% |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST+1 more line at this price File of Dec 4, 2025 · source file | $1,737.00 | $3,474.00 | $234.50–$3,126.60 | 50% |
| Atrium Health Union Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST File of Dec 4, 2025 · source file | $1,737.00 | $3,474.00 | $234.50–$3,300.30 | 50% |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,866.00 | $5,732.00 | — | 50% |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG MRA HEAD WO CONT File of May 11, 2026 · source file | $4,186.00 | $4,186.00 | $243.77–$3,976.70 | — |
| CaroMont Regional Medical Center - Gastonia Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG MRA HEAD WO CONT File of May 11, 2026 · source file | $4,186.00 | $4,186.00 | $243.77–$3,976.70 | — |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG MRA HEAD WO CONT File of May 11, 2026 · source file | $4,186.00 | $4,186.00 | $243.77–$3,976.70 | — |
| Piedmont Medical Center Fort Mill, SC · (803) 329-1234 MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST File of Apr 15, 2026 · source file | $5,621.25 | $7,495.00 | $1.00–$5,696.20 | 25% |
| Piedmont Medical Center Rock Hill, SC · (803) 329-1234 MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $5,621.25 | $7,495.00 | $1.00–$5,696.20 | 25% |
Outpatient: lowest $547.29, median $1,737.00, highest $5,621.25 — a 10.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 19 facilities here, median $1,737.00. 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 15 of 18 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it 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.