Scans and imaging CPT 77049 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Breast MRI, both breasts cost in Cherokee, IA — inpatient

In Cherokee, IA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for MRI of both breasts, without and then with contrast dye (both sides) as an inpatient: from $1,181.70 to $1,181.70, with a median of $1,181.70. Across Iowa, the median is $1,492.70 at 10 hospitals.

Cash prices at 1 facility for code 77049, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.

Lowest$1,181.70Cherokee Regional Medical Center

Median$1,181.70half of hospitals charge less

Highest$1,181.70in this market

Difference1.0×highest vs lowest

Hospitals, cheapest first

Hospital	Cash price	List price	Insurers pay	Off list
Cherokee Regional Medical Center both sides Cherokee, IA · (712) 225-5101 HC MRI BREAST W WO CONTRAST W/CAD BILAT source file	$1,181.70	$1,313.00	$1,313.00	10%

Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.

Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More

List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More

Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More

Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.

Both sides : lowest $1,181.70, median $1,181.70, highest $1,181.70.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $1,181.70 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

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 and 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.