Summary

6 facilities within 25 miles of Charlotte publish prices for MRI Brain without Contrast. Cash prices range from $1,622 to $1,622 — a 1.0x difference for an identical procedure. The North Carolina average is $2,742.

$1,622 lowest
$1,622 highest
Best Value

Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center

Charlotte, VA · Novant Health · 0.0 mi

$1,622 Cash price
4/5 CMS rating
65.0% Patient satisfaction

Lowest price among hospitals rated 4 stars or above. Patient satisfaction: 65%. Cash price of $1,622 is below the statewide average of $2,742.

All facilities ranked by price

1
Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center 4★ · 0.0 mi · Nonprofit
$1,622
2
Novant Health Rowan Medical Center 2★ · 0.3 mi · Nonprofit
$1,622
3
Novant Health Ballantyne Medical Center · 0.0 mi · Nonprofit
$1,622
Complete facility data
# Facility Cash Price Gross Charge Markup CMS Stars Patient Rating Ownership
1 Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center Novant Health Charlotte, NC · 0.0 mi $1,622 $3,243 2.0x 4/5 65.0% Nonprofit
2 Novant Health Rowan Medical Center Novant Health Salisbury, NC · 0.3 mi $1,622 $3,243 2.0x 2/5 63.0% Nonprofit
3 Novant Health Ballantyne Medical Center Novant Health Charlotte, NC · 0.0 mi $1,622 $3,243 2.0x 80.0% Nonprofit
4 Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center Novant Health Charlotte, NC · 0.0 mi 4/5 81.0% Nonprofit
5 Novant Health Matthews Medical Center Novant Health Matthews, NC · 0.3 mi 4/5 70.0% Nonprofit
6 Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center Novant Health Huntersville, NC · 0.3 mi 4/5 66.0% Nonprofit

Insurance negotiated rates by facility

The rates below are what each insurer has contractually agreed to pay this hospital for MRI Brain without Contrast. Your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your deductible status and copay structure.

Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center

Cash: $1,622
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Anthem Blue Medicare $232 -$1,390
Humana Medicare $232 -$1,390
Pace of the Southern Piedmont All Plans $232 -$1,390
UnitedHealthcare Medicare $232 -$1,390
Aetna Medicare $238 -$1,384
Cigna HealthSpring $239 -$1,383
Liberty Health Medicare HMO $243 -$1,378
Anthem Advantage65 $435 -$1,187
Anthem BlueCare $435 -$1,187
Anthem BlueMedicare HMO $435 -$1,187
Anthem BlueMedicare PPO $435 -$1,187
Anthem BlueSelect $435 -$1,187
Anthem HMO $435 -$1,187
Anthem BlueOptions $491 -$1,131

37 additional plans not shown.

Novant Health Rowan Medical Center

Cash: $1,622
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Anthem Blue Medicare $232 -$1,390
Humana Medicare $232 -$1,390
Pace of the Southern Piedmont All Plans $232 -$1,390
UnitedHealthcare Medicare $232 -$1,390
Aetna Medicare $238 -$1,384
Cigna HealthSpring $239 -$1,383
Liberty Health Medicare HMO $243 -$1,378
Anthem Advantage65 $435 -$1,187
Anthem BlueCare $435 -$1,187
Anthem BlueMedicare HMO $435 -$1,187
Anthem BlueMedicare PPO $435 -$1,187
Anthem BlueSelect $435 -$1,187
Anthem HMO $435 -$1,187
Anthem BlueOptions $491 -$1,131

38 additional plans not shown.

Novant Health Ballantyne Medical Center

Cash: $1,622
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Anthem Blue Medicare $232 -$1,390
Humana Medicare $232 -$1,390
Pace of the Southern Piedmont All Plans $232 -$1,390
UnitedHealthcare Medicare $232 -$1,390
Aetna Medicare $238 -$1,384
Cigna HealthSpring $239 -$1,383
Liberty Health Medicare HMO $243 -$1,378
Anthem Advantage65 $435 -$1,187
Anthem BlueCare $435 -$1,187
Anthem BlueMedicare HMO $435 -$1,187
Anthem BlueMedicare PPO $435 -$1,187
Anthem BlueSelect $435 -$1,187
Anthem HMO $435 -$1,187
Anthem BlueOptions $491 -$1,131

37 additional plans not shown.

Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center

Cash: N/A
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate
Anthem Blue Medicare $232
Humana Medicare $232
Pace of the Southern Piedmont All Plans $232
UnitedHealthcare Medicare $232
Aetna Medicare $238
Cigna HealthSpring $239
Liberty Health Medicare HMO $243
Anthem Advantage65 $435
Anthem BlueCare $435
Anthem BlueMedicare HMO $435
Anthem BlueMedicare PPO $435
Anthem BlueSelect $435
Anthem HMO $435
Anthem BlueOptions $491

9 additional plans not shown.

Novant Health Matthews Medical Center

Cash: N/A
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate
Anthem Blue Medicare $232
Humana Medicare $232
Pace of the Southern Piedmont All Plans $232
UnitedHealthcare Medicare $232
Aetna Medicare $238
Cigna HealthSpring $239
Liberty Health Medicare HMO $243
Anthem Advantage65 $435
Anthem BlueCare $435
Anthem BlueMedicare HMO $435
Anthem BlueMedicare PPO $435
Anthem BlueSelect $435
Anthem HMO $435
Anthem BlueOptions $491

9 additional plans not shown.

Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center

Cash: N/A
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate
Anthem Blue Medicare $232
Humana Medicare $232
Pace of the Southern Piedmont All Payer $232
UnitedHealthcare Medicare $232
Aetna Medicare $238
Cigna HealthSpring $239
Liberty Health Medicare HMO $243
Anthem Advantage65 $435
Anthem BlueCare $435
Anthem BlueMedicare HMO $435
Anthem BlueMedicare PPO $435
Anthem BlueSelect $435
Anthem HMO $435
Anthem BlueOptions $491

9 additional plans not shown.

Before you call

The data in this report is from each hospital's publicly filed prices. Here's how to use it.

Confirm the price

Call the hospital's billing department and ask for a price estimate or Good Faith Estimate for MRI Brain without Contrast (CPT 70551). Under federal law, they must provide this. Compare it to the published price in this report.

Ask about cash pay

If you haven't met your deductible, ask for the cash/self-pay rate. At many hospitals, the cash price is lower than the insurance-negotiated rate. You can see this in the insurance table above — some negotiated rates exceed the cash price.

Compare before you schedule

You are not required to use the facility your doctor referred you to. You can request a referral to any in-network facility. The same procedure, same quality — sometimes at a fraction of the price.

Ask about financial help

Most nonprofit hospitals in Virginia offer financial assistance to patients based on household income. This is separate from insurance — even insured patients can qualify. Ask billing for their Financial Assistance Policy.

Financial assistance by facility

Nonprofit hospitals are legally required to have financial assistance programs. Below is what we know about each facility's charitable care.

Facility Status Charity Care Provided How to Apply
Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Novant Health Rowan Medical Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Novant Health Ballantyne Medical Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Novant Health Matthews Medical Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application

What to do next

  1. Identify your top 2-3 facilities based on price, quality rating, and distance. The data in this report shows that lower price does not mean lower quality — check the star ratings.
  2. Call billing before you schedule. Confirm the published price. Ask for a Good Faith Estimate. Ask whether there's a prompt-pay or cash-pay discount beyond the listed rate.
  3. Check your deductible status. If you haven't met your deductible, compare the cash rate to what you'd owe through insurance. In some cases, paying cash is cheaper than using your plan.
  4. Apply for financial assistance if your household income is under $60,000-$125,000 (thresholds vary). Most eligible patients never apply because they don't know the program exists.
  5. Get everything in writing. Before your procedure, get a written price estimate. After, review the bill line by line. Roughly 80% of hospital bills contain errors (Becker's Hospital Review).

Data sources

Hospital prices
Published machine-readable files, required under CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule (45 CFR Part 180)
Quality ratings
CMS Hospital Compare, updated quarterly
Patient satisfaction
HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems)
Financial data
CMS Cost Reports (charity care, revenue) and IRS 990 filings (officer compensation)

This report is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Every price shown is a price a hospital published — not an estimate. Actual out-of-pocket costs depend on your insurance plan, deductible status, and clinical circumstances. Consult your healthcare provider and insurer before making decisions.