Scans and imaging CPT 70551 Outpatient

MRI of the brain, no contrast dye in Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

In Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 13 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the brain, no contrast dye: from $292.00 to $4,880.70, with a median of $1,038.24. The lowest listed price is at Seattle Children's Hospital.

Cash prices at 13 facilities across 11 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 Feb 28, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026.

Lowest$292.00Seattle Children's Hospital
Median$1,038.24half pay less
Highest$4,880.70in this market
Difference16.7×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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA.

median
Lowest $292.00Highest $4,880.70

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceOff listFile date
Seattle Children's Hospital lowest Seattle, WA MRI Brain $292.00 $292.00
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Swedish Health Services Seattle, WA HC MRI BRAIN STEM W/O DYE $538.56 $1,122.00 52% Apr 1, 2026
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Swedish Health Services Issaquah, WA HC MRI BRAIN STEM W/O DYE $538.56 $1,122.00 52% Apr 1, 2026
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Swedish Health Services Seattle, WA HC MRI BRAIN STEM W/O DYE $538.56 $1,122.00 52% Apr 1, 2026
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Providence Health And Services - Washington Everett, WA HC MRI BRAIN W/O DYE LIMITED $569.92 $1,096.00 48% Apr 1, 2026
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Providence Health And Services - Washington Everett, WA HC MRI BRAIN STEM W/O DYE $569.92 $1,096.00 48% Apr 1, 2026
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Overlake Medical Center & Clinics Bellevue, WA Hc Mri Brain Incl Bs Wo Con $951.00 $1,902.00 50% Apr 1, 2026
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Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA MRI-BRAIN $989.40 $1,940.00 49%
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Swedish Health Services Seattle, WA HC MRI BRAIN STEM W/O DYE $1,038.24 $2,163.00 52% Apr 1, 2026
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Swedish Health Services Issaquah, WA HC MRI BRAIN STEM W/O DYE $1,038.24 $2,163.00 52% Apr 1, 2026
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Swedish Health Services Seattle, WA HC MRI BRAIN STEM W/O DYE $1,038.24 $2,163.00 52% Apr 1, 2026
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Saint Clare Hospital Lakewood, WA HC MRI BRAIN W/O CONTRAST $1,569.96 $5,446.69 71% Feb 28, 2026
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Franciscan Health System Gig Harbor, WA HC MRI BRAIN W/O CONTRAST $1,656.61 $5,446.69 70% Feb 28, 2026
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Highline Medical Center Burien, WA HC MRI BRAIN W/O CONTRAST $1,663.18 $5,446.69 69% Feb 28, 2026
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St Francis Community Hospital Federal Way, WA HC MRI BRAIN W/O CONTRAST $1,709.30 $5,446.69 69% Feb 28, 2026
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Franciscan Health System Tacoma, WA HC MRI BRAIN W/O CONTRAST $1,803.94 $5,446.69 67% Feb 28, 2026
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Enumclaw Regional Hospital Association Enumclaw, WA HC MRI BRAIN W/O CONTRAST $1,924.67 $5,446.69 65% Feb 28, 2026
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Public Hospital Dist No 1 Skagit dba Cascade Valley Hospital Arlington, WA HC BRAIN W/O CONTRAST $2,073.60 $2,592.00 20%
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Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA MRI Brain Limited $2,835.80 $2,835.80
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Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA MRI Iac W/O Contrast $4,873.60 $4,873.60
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Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA MRI Brain W/O Contrast $4,880.70 $4,880.70
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Outpatient: lowest $292.00, median $1,038.24, highest $4,880.70 — a 16.7× difference within the same market.

As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $1,038.24. 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.