Summary

9 facilities within 25 miles of Fairfax publish prices for MRI Brain with Contrast. Cash prices range from $886 to $7,306 — a 8.2x difference for an identical procedure. The Virginia average is $3,067.

Choosing the lowest-priced facility over the highest saves $6,420. The lowest-priced facility (Inova Fair Oaks Hospital) has a 5-star CMS quality rating — lower price does not mean lower quality.

$886 lowest
$7,306 highest
Best Value

Inova Fair Oaks Hospital

Fairfax, VA · Inova Health System · 0.0 mi

$886 Cash price
5/5 CMS rating
79.0% Patient satisfaction

Lowest price among hospitals rated 5 stars or above. Patient satisfaction: 79%. Cash price of $886 is below the statewide average of $3,067.

All facilities ranked by price

1
Inova Fair Oaks Hospital 5★ · 0.0 mi · Nonprofit
$886
2
Inova Loudoun Hospital 5★ · 11.3 mi · Nonprofit
$886
3
Inova Alexandria Hospital 4★ · 14.3 mi · Nonprofit
$886
4
Inova Mount Vernon Hospital 3★ · 14.3 mi · Nonprofit
$886
5
Novant Prince William Medical Center 4★ · 11.3 mi · Nonprofit
$1,432
6
Fauquier Hospital 3★ · 11.3 mi · For-profit
$2,306
7
UVA Health Haymarket Medical Center 4★ · 11.3 mi · Nonprofit
$2,613
8
Reston Hospital Center 3★ · 11.3 mi · Nonprofit
$7,305
9
Stonesprings Hospital Center 3★ · 11.3 mi · For-profit
$7,306
Complete facility data
# Facility Cash Price Gross Charge Markup CMS Stars Patient Rating Ownership
1 Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Inova Health System Fairfax, VA · 0.0 mi $886 $1,772 2.0x 5/5 79.0% Nonprofit
2 Inova Loudoun Hospital Inova Health System Leesburg, VA · 11.3 mi $886 $1,772 2.0x 5/5 76.0% Nonprofit
3 Inova Alexandria Hospital Inova Health System Alexandria, VA · 14.3 mi $886 $1,772 2.0x 4/5 70.0% Nonprofit
4 Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Inova Health System Alexandria, VA · 14.3 mi $886 $1,772 2.0x 3/5 67.0% Nonprofit
5 Novant Prince William Medical Center Novant Health Manassas, VA · 11.3 mi $1,432 $2,865 2.0x 4/5 64.0% Nonprofit
6 Fauquier Hospital Warrenton, VA · 11.3 mi $2,306 $5,766 2.5x 3/5 62.0% For-profit
7 UVA Health Haymarket Medical Center UVA Health Haymarket, VA · 11.3 mi $2,613 $4,355 1.67x 4/5 76.0% Nonprofit
8 Reston Hospital Center HCA Virginia Reston, VA · 11.3 mi $7,305 $7,305 1.0x 3/5 66.0% Nonprofit
9 Stonesprings Hospital Center Dulles, VA · 11.3 mi $7,306 $7,306 1.0x 3/5 76.0% For-profit

Insurance negotiated rates by facility

The rates below are what each insurer has contractually agreed to pay this hospital for MRI Brain with Contrast. Your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your deductible status and copay structure.

Novant Prince William Medical Center

Cash: $1,432
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
TRICARE UVAMC & UVACHM & UVAPW & UVAHM - Tricare $197 -$1,236
Kaiser Permanente UVAPW - Managed Medicare (Kaiser) $361 -$1,072
Medicare UVAPW - Managed Medicare (various) $361 -$1,072
Anthem UVAPW - Managed Medicare (various) $361 -$1,072
Cigna UVAPW - Managed Medicare (various) $361 -$1,072
UnitedHealthcare UVAPW - Managed Medicare (various) $361 -$1,072
Aetna UVAPW - Managed Medicare - Aetna $365 -$1,068
Humana UVAPW - Managed Medicare (Humana) $368 -$1,064
Anthem UVAPW - Anthem Exchange $781 -$651
Cigna UVAPW & UVAHM - Cigna (OAP) $955 -$477
Cigna $1,079 -$353

19 additional plans not shown.

UVA Health Haymarket Medical Center

Cash: $2,613
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
TRICARE UVAMC & UVACHM & UVAPW & UVAHM - Tricare $197 -$2,416
Medicaid UVAMC - Managed Medicare (Innovage) $315 -$2,298
Aetna UVAMC - Managed Medicare (various) $350 -$2,263
Humana UVAMC - Managed Medicare (various) $350 -$2,263
Medicare UVAMC - Managed Medicare (various) $350 -$2,263
UnitedHealthcare UVAMC - Managed Medicare (various) $350 -$2,263
Anthem UVAMC - Managed Medicare (various) $350 -$2,263
Cigna UVAMC - Managed Medicare (various) $350 -$2,263
Kaiser Permanente UVAMC - Managed Medicare (various) $350 -$2,263
Aetna UVAMC - Aetna (Comm. Book of Business) $489 -$2,124

27 additional plans not shown.

Reston Hospital Center

Cash: $7,305
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
UnitedHealthcare AllPayerAppendix $828 -$6,476
Anthem HIX $1,057 -$6,248
Anthem HPN $1,068 -$6,237
Anthem HMO $1,145 -$6,160
Anthem PPO $1,145 -$6,160
Lifeworks MCR $1,388 -$5,917
Universal Healthcare Group MCR $1,607 -$5,698
Aetna Broad $1,915 -$5,390
UnitedHealthcare OptionsPPO $2,045 -$5,259
CareFirst HMO $2,843 -$4,461
CareFirst RPN $2,843 -$4,461
UnitedHealthcare GlobalBenefitPlan $3,287 -$4,018
Greenvbrier Sporting Club COMM $4,383 -$2,922
Virginia Health Network COMM $5,186 -$2,118
Virginia Health Network ULTRA $5,186 -$2,118

4 additional plans not shown.

Stonesprings Hospital Center

Cash: $7,306
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
UnitedHealthcare AllPayerAppendix $828 -$6,478
Anthem HIX $1,067 -$6,239
Anthem HPN $1,078 -$6,229
Anthem HMO $1,156 -$6,150
Anthem PPO $1,156 -$6,150
Lifeworks MCR $1,388 -$5,918
Aetna Broad $1,915 -$5,391
UnitedHealthcare OptionsPPO $2,280 -$5,027
CareFirst HMO $2,843 -$4,463
CareFirst RPN $2,843 -$4,463
UnitedHealthcare GlobalBenefitPlan $3,288 -$4,019
Greenvbrier Sporting Club COMM $4,384 -$2,923
Virginia Health Network COMM $5,188 -$2,119
Virginia Health Network ULTRA $5,188 -$2,119
Virginia Health Network WC $5,188 -$2,119

3 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 with Contrast (CPT 70552). 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
Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Inova Loudoun Hospital Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Inova Alexandria Hospital Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Novant Prince William Medical Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Fauquier Hospital For-profit N/A (for-profit)
UVA Health Haymarket Medical Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Reston Hospital Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Stonesprings Hospital Center For-profit N/A (for-profit)

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.