Scans and imaging CPT 70551 Outpatient

Brain MRI cost in Salem, OH

In Salem, OH, 2 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the brain, no contrast dye: from $224.00 to $1,907.75, with a median of $1,065.88. The lowest listed price is at East Liverpool City Hospital — $841.88 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $1,405.80 at 101 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 Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 2026.

Lowest$224.00East Liverpool City Hospital
Median$1,065.88half pay less
Highest$1,907.75in this market
Difference8.5×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 Salem, OH.

median
Lowest $224.00Highest $1,907.75

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
East Liverpool City Hospital lowest East Liverpool, OH · (330) 385-7200 MRI PITUITARY WO CONTRAST $224.00 $2,952.00 $84.41–$3,876.88 92% Sep 1, 2026
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East Liverpool City Hospital lowest East Liverpool, OH · (330) 385-7200 MRI HEAD/BRAIN WO CONTRAST $224.00 $3,956.00 $84.41–$3,876.88 94% Sep 1, 2026
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East Liverpool City Hospital lowest East Liverpool, OH · (330) 385-7200 MRI IAC WO CONTRAST $224.00 $1,508.88 $84.41–$3,876.88 85% Sep 1, 2026
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Salem Regional Medical Center Salem, OH · (330) 332-7214 BRAIN MRI NO CONTRAST $1,907.75 $1,907.75 — — Apr 1, 2026
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Salem Regional Medical Center Salem, OH · (330) 332-7214 BRAIN INCL IACS NO CONTRAST $1,907.75 $1,907.75 — — Apr 1, 2026
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Outpatient: lowest $224.00, median $1,065.88, highest $1,907.75 — a 8.5× difference within the same market.

As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $1,907.75. 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 the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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.