Scans and imaging CPT 70551 Outpatient

MRI of the brain, no contrast dye in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

In Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, 3 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the brain, no contrast dye: from $300.00 to $3,379.43, with a median of $2,095.60. The lowest listed price is at Mount St. Mary's Hospital.

Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 70551, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Aug 25, 2026.

Lowest$300.00Mount St. Mary's Hospital
Median$2,095.60half pay less
Highest$3,379.43in this market
Difference11.3×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY.

median
Lowest $300.00Highest $3,379.43

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceOff listFile date
Mount St. Mary's Hospital lowest Lewiston, NY HC MRI Brain - MRI Brain WO Contrast $300.00 $1,313.00 77%
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Erie County Medical Center Corporation Buffalo, NY MRI BRAIN STEM W/O DYE $506.50 Aug 25, 2026
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Mount St. Mary's Hospital Lewiston, NY MRI Brain Brain Stem W/O Contrast Material $811.76 $811.76
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Roswell Park Cancer Institute Buffalo, NY Mri Brain, Rtms Walking $3,379.43 $3,379.43 Apr 1, 2026
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Roswell Park Cancer Institute Buffalo, NY Mri, Brain W/O Contrast $3,379.43 $3,379.43 Apr 1, 2026
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Roswell Park Cancer Institute Buffalo, NY Rtms Dosing Study Mri Brain $3,379.43 $3,379.43 Apr 1, 2026
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Outpatient: lowest $300.00, median $2,095.60, highest $3,379.43 — a 11.3× difference within the same market.

As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $3,379.43. 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

An MRI of the brain uses a strong magnet and radio waves, not X-rays, to make detailed pictures of the brain and brain stem. It is used to look into headaches, seizures, dizziness, numbness or other nerve symptoms. This version is done without contrast dye.

What the price covers

The hospital price usually covers the scan itself. The radiologist's interpretation is often billed separately, and sedation, if needed, is extra.