Head MRA (brain vessels) cost in Columbia, SC
In Columbia, SC, 4 hospitals list a cash price for MR angiography (MRA) of the head without contrast: from $1,511.00 to $3,323.00, with a median of $1,656.25. The lowest listed price is at Musc Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown and 1 other hospital — $145.25 less than the median here. Across South Carolina, the median is $2,085.85 at 38 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 3 cities for code 70544, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 28, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 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 Columbia, SC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Musc Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown lowest Columbia, SC · (803) 256-5300 HB MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,511.00 | $3,022.00 | — | 50% |
| MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeast lowest Columbia, SC · (803) 256-5300 HB MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,511.00 | $3,022.00 | — | 50% |
| Kershaw Medical Center Camden, SC · (803) 432-4311 HB MRA HEAD W/O CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,801.50 | $3,603.00 | — | 50% |
| Lexington Medical Center West Columbia, SC · (803) 791-2000 Hc Mra Head Without Contrast File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,323.00 | $3,323.00 | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $1,511.00, median $1,656.25, highest $3,323.00 — a 2.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $1,656.25. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
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.