Scans and imaging CPT 70551 Outpatient

Brain MRI cost in Russellville, AL

In Russellville, AL, 2 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the brain, no contrast dye: from $487.50 to $895.57, with a median of $691.54. The lowest listed price is at Red Bay Hospital — $204.04 less than the median here. Across Alabama, the median is $1,848.00 at 35 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 70551, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jul 31, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.

Lowest$487.50Red Bay Hospital
Median$691.54half pay less
Highest$895.57in this market
Difference1.8×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 Russellville, AL.

median
Lowest $487.50Highest $3,937.00

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Red Bay Hospital lowest Red Bay, AL · (256) 356-9532 HK CANCELLOUS CHIP 15CC CORTIC $487.50 $487.50 $121.88–$380.25 — —
source file
Russellville Hospital Russellville, AL · (256) 332-1611 MRI BRAIN WO CONTRAST $895.57 $3,444.50 $172.43–$2,066.70 74% Jul 31, 2026
source file
Russellville Hospital Russellville, AL · (256) 332-1611 MRI BRAIN WO CONTRA $895.57 $3,444.50 $172.43–$2,066.70 74% Jul 31, 2026
source file
Red Bay Hospital Red Bay, AL · (256) 356-9532 MR-BRAIN W/O CONTR $3,937.00 $3,937.00 $345.00–$3,070.86 — —
source file

Outpatient: lowest $487.50, median $691.54, highest $895.57 — a 1.8× difference within the same market.

As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $691.54. 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 1 of 2 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

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.