MRI Cost in Tri-Cities (Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol), TN

How much does a mri cost without insurance in Tri-Cities (Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol)?

Without insurance, the cash price for both MRI Brain Without Contrast (70551) and MRI Lumbar Spine Without Contrast (72148) is $604.95 at all seven hospitals in this dataset: Bristol Regional, Franklin Woods, Hawkins County Memorial, Holston Valley, Indian Path, Johnson City Medical Center, and Sycamore Shoals. The overall range is therefore $604.95 to $604.95, and the cost difference between the two codes is $0. The gross charge for each is $4,033. These figures are facility fees, which cover the hospital's scanner, room, and technical staff. Physician and professional fees, such as the radiologist's interpretation, are billed separately and are not included.

Why is the gross charge so much higher than the cash price?

The gross charge, or chargemaster price, is the hospital's standard list price for a service before any discounts or negotiated rates. Almost no one pays it. In this dataset, every hospital lists a gross charge of $4,033 and a cash price of $604.95, so the cash price equals 15% of gross at all seven hospitals, an 85% discount. Because every hospital starts from the same gross charge and applies the same percentage, there is no case in which a larger discount produces a higher cash price here. Insurers negotiate their own rates, which range from $169.21 to $4,033 in this data.

Does insurance cover a mri?

Coverage depends on the specific plan and on whether the plan considers the scan medically necessary. Many plans require prior authorization for non-emergency MRI scans. Negotiated rates vary widely across the 315 payer rates listed for each code, from $169.21 (UnitedHealthcare TennCare at Hawkins County Memorial) to $4,033 (including UnitedHealthcare and WellCare Medicaid listings at Johnson City Medical Center and Sycamore Shoals). If you are on a high-deductible plan and have not met your deductible, you generally owe the negotiated rate for the scan, not the gross charge, until the deductible is met. Your plan's explanation of benefits shows how the rate was applied.

Are there additional fees beyond the mri facility charge?

Yes. The facility fee covers the hospital's equipment, room, and technical staff. A radiologist's reading fee, the professional charge for interpreting the images, is typically billed separately by the radiology group and is not included in the facility prices shown here. If the scan is performed in the emergency department, a separate emergency department facility fee applies as well. If a plan or provider arranges a contrast agent or additional imaging, those services are billed separately too. These additional charges are not in the source data, so no dollar amounts are listed.

What is the cash price for a brain MRI at Johnson City Medical Center?

Johnson City Medical Center lists a cash price of $604.95 for MRI Brain Without Contrast (70551), against a gross charge of $4,033. The cash price is 15% of gross. This is a facility charge only, and the page shows its insured rates from $220.67 to $4,033.

What is the lowest insured rate for a brain MRI in Tri-Cities Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol?

The lowest insured rate on this page for MRI Brain Without Contrast (70551) is $169.21 at Hawkins County Memorial Hospital. The highest is $4,033 at Bristol Regional Medical Center. These are facility charges only and do not include any separate professional fees. No row on the page has a missing ($0 or blank) gross charge.

How much does Indian Path Community Hospital charge for a brain MRI with different insurers?

Indian Path Community Hospital publishes 47 rates for MRI Brain Without Contrast (70551), from $214.55 for AMERIGROUP to $4,033 for UNITED HEALTHCARE and WELLCARE MEDICAID. The highest is about 19x the lowest. UHC HERITAGE RIVER VALLEY is listed at $3,354. All figures are facility charges only.

Is the self-pay price for an MRI the same at every hospital in Kingsport and Bristol?

Yes, on this page. Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport and Bristol Regional Medical Center in Bristol each show a cash price of $604.95 for both 70551 and 72148, with a gross charge of $4,033. All 7 hospitals on the page belong to Ballad Health. These are facility charges only.

Is the cash price for a lumbar spine MRI (CPT 72148) in the Tri-Cities area different from the brain MRI?

No. In the Tri-Cities data, MRI Lumbar Spine Without Contrast (72148) shows the same cash price of $604.95 and gross charge of $4,033 as MRI Brain Without Contrast (70551) at each of the 7 hospitals. All 14 rows have a published cash price, and every figure is a facility charge only.