Scans and imaging CPT 70553 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

MRI of the brain, with and without contrast dye in Charleston-North Charleston, SC — inpatient

In Charleston-North Charleston, SC, 5 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the brain, with and without contrast dye as an inpatient: from $1,454.00 to $2,265.90, with a median of $2,265.90. The lowest listed price is at MUSC Medical Center.

Cash prices at 5 facilities across 3 cities for code 70553, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026.

Lowest$1,454.00MUSC Medical Center
Median$2,265.90half pay less
Highest$2,265.90in this market
Difference1.6×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 Charleston-North Charleston, SC.

median
Lowest $1,454.00Highest $2,265.90

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceOff listFile date
MUSC Medical Center lowest Charleston, SC HB MRI BRAIN W/WO CONTRAST $1,454.00 $2,908.00 50% Apr 1, 2026
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Roper St Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital Mount Pleasant, SC HC MRI-Brain WO & W Contrast $2,265.90 $3,486.00 35%
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Roper St Francis Hospital Berkeley INC Summerville, SC HC MRI-Brain WO & W Contrast $2,265.90 $3,486.00 35%
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Bon Secours St Francis Xavier Hospital INC Charleston, SC HC MRI-Brain WO & W Contrast $2,265.90 $3,486.00 35%
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Roper Hospital INC Charleston, SC HC MRI-Brain WO & W Contrast $2,265.90 $3,486.00 35%
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Inpatient: lowest $1,454.00, median $2,265.90, highest $2,265.90 — a 1.6× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $2,265.90 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

What it is

This brain MRI is done in two parts: first without contrast dye, then again after a gadolinium contrast dye is injected into a vein. The contrast helps show tumors, infection, inflammation and conditions such as multiple sclerosis more clearly.

What the price covers

The hospital price usually covers both sets of images. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately, and the contrast agent may appear as its own pharmacy charge.