Breast MRI, both breasts cost in New Orleans, LA
In New Orleans-Metairie, LA, 8 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of both breasts, without and then with contrast dye (both sides): from $556.80 to $1,205.28, with a median of $711.76. The lowest listed price is at New Orleans East Hospital — $154.96 less than the median here.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 3 cities for code 77049, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jun 24, 2026 and Jul 1, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in New Orleans-Metairie, LA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans East Hospital both sides lowest New Orleans, LA MRI Breast Without&With Contrast W/Cad Bilateral | $556.80 | $3,480.00 | $1,000.00–$372.99 | 84% | Jun 24, 2026 source file |
| Touro Infirmary both sides New Orleans, LA MRI Breast Without&With Contrast W/Cad Bilateral | $701.82 | $5,013.00 | $2,005.20–$933.92 | 86% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| East Jefferson General Hospital both sides Metairie, LA MRI Breast Without&With Contrast W/Cad Bilateral | $711.76 | $5,084.00 | $1,016.80–$714.73 | 86% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| Lakeside Hospital both sides Metairie, LA MRI Breast Without&With Contrast W/Cad Bilateral | $711.76 | $5,084.00 | $1,016.80–$714.73 | 86% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| Tulane Medical Center both sides New Orleans, LA MRI Breast Without&With Contrast W/Cad Bilateral | $711.76 | $5,084.00 | $1,016.80–$714.73 | 86% | Jun 25, 2026 source file |
| University Med Center both sides New Orleans, LA MRI Breast Without&With Contrast W/Cad Bilateral | $984.28 | $4,474.00 | $1,544.42–$756.96 | 78% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| Childrens Hospital both sides New Orleans, LA MRI Breast Without&With Contrast W/Cad Bilateral | $1,041.12 | $3,856.00 | $1,091.63–$685.16 | 73% | Jun 24, 2026 source file |
| West Jefferson Medical Center both sides Marrero, LA MRI Breast Without&With Contrast W/Cad Bilateral | $1,205.28 | $7,533.00 | $1,273.00–$941.60 | 84% | Jun 30, 2026 source file |
Both sides : lowest $556.80, median $711.76, highest $1,205.28 — a 2.2× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 4 of 8 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 8 it is 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
A breast MRI takes pictures of both breasts before and after contrast dye is injected into a vein, and the code includes computer-aided analysis of the images. It is used to screen women at high risk of breast cancer and to check the extent of a cancer that has already been found.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the imaging of both breasts and the computer analysis; the contrast agent may appear as a separate line. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.