Scans and imaging CPT 70553 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

MRI of the brain, with and without contrast dye in St. Louis, MO-IL — inpatient

In St. Louis, MO-IL, 8 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the brain, with and without contrast dye as an inpatient: from $718.25 to $4,820.40, with a median of $4,098.96. The lowest listed price is at American Healthcare Systems Illinois LLC.

Cash prices at 8 facilities across 8 cities for code 70553, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 16, 2026 and Apr 24, 2026.

Lowest$718.25American Healthcare Systems Illinois LLC
Median$4,098.96half pay less
Highest$4,820.40in this market
Difference6.7×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 St. Louis, MO-IL.

median
Lowest $718.25Highest $4,820.40

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceOff listFile date
American Healthcare Systems Illinois LLC lowest Granite City, IL MR-BRAIN WWO $718.25 $1,197.08 40%
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Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital South Louis, MO MRI BRAIN W/WO CONTRAST $1,257.96 $1,257.96 Mar 16, 2026
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Ranken Jordan Home for Convalescent Crippled Children Hospital Maryland Heights, MO MRI Brain w/ + w/o Contrast $2,476.32 $3,095.40 20% Apr 24, 2026
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Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital St. Louis Chesterfield, MO MRI BRAIN W/WO CONTRAST $3,959.28 $3,959.28 Mar 16, 2026
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Hshs Holy Family Hospital Inc Greenville, IL MRI BRAIN STEM W/O & W/DYE $4,238.64 $5,887.00 28%
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St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL MRI BRAIN STEM W/O & W/DYE $4,441.68 $6,169.00 28%
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St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL MRI BRAIN STEM W/O & W/DYE $4,523.04 $6,282.00 28%
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St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL MRI BRAIN STEM W/O & W/DYE $4,820.40 $6,695.00 28%
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Inpatient: lowest $718.25, median $4,098.96, highest $4,820.40 — a 6.7× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $2,795.00 — 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.