Summary

5 facilities within 25 miles of High Point publish prices for MRI Brain with and without Contrast. Cash prices range from $2,046 to $3,022 — a 1.5x difference for an identical procedure. The North Carolina average is $3,897.

$2,046 lowest
$3,022 highest
Best Value

Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center

Winston-Salem, VA · Novant Health · 14.4 mi

$2,357 Cash price
4/5 CMS rating
68.0% Patient satisfaction

Lowest price among hospitals rated 4 stars or above. Patient satisfaction: 68%. Cash price of $2,357 is below the statewide average of $3,897.

All facilities ranked by price

1
Lexington Memorial Hospital INC 3★ · 14.4 mi · Nonprofit
$2,046
2
High Point Regional Health System 2★ · 0.0 mi · Nonprofit
$2,331
3
Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center 4★ · 14.4 mi · Nonprofit
$2,357
4
Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center 3★ · 14.4 mi · Nonprofit
$3,022
Complete facility data
# Facility Cash Price Gross Charge Markup CMS Stars Patient Rating Ownership
1 Lexington Memorial Hospital INC Lexington, NC · 14.4 mi $2,046 $4,092 2.0x 3/5 72.0% Nonprofit
2 High Point Regional Health System High Point, NC · 0.0 mi $2,331 $4,661 2.0x 2/5 64.0% Nonprofit
3 Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center Novant Health Winston-Salem, NC · 14.4 mi $2,357 $3,928 1.67x 4/5 68.0% Nonprofit
4 Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center Novant Health Thomasville, NC · 14.4 mi $3,022 $5,036 1.67x 3/5 69.0% Nonprofit
5 Novant Health Medical Park Hospital Novant Health Winston-Salem, NC · 14.4 mi 4/5 92.0% Nonprofit

Insurance negotiated rates by facility

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

Lexington Memorial Hospital INC

Cash: $2,046
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Medicare $360 -$1,686
Cigna $360 -$1,686
HealthTeam Advantage $360 -$1,686
Medicaid $851 -$1,195
Blue Local Individual $1,166 -$880
Ambetter $1,383 -$663
Blue Local Group $1,563 -$483
Blue Value $1,751 -$295
Medcost Ultra $1,796 -$250
Anthem $1,938 -$108
UnitedHealthcare $2,042 -$4
DirectNet $2,418 +$372
Medcost $2,844 +$798
Healthgram Lexington Brands $2,946 +$900
Coventry Wellpath $3,061 +$1,015

7 additional plans not shown.

High Point Regional Health System

Cash: $2,331
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Cigna $386 -$1,945
Medicare $386 -$1,945
Revenue Code $610 -$1,721
Medicaid $726 -$1,605
Medcost Ultra $2,139 -$192
Direct Net $2,755 +$424
Aetna $2,936 +$605
Medcost $3,193 +$862
Anthem $3,308 +$977
Coventry WellPath Carolinas $3,729 +$1,398
Coventry WellPath (National) $3,962 +$1,631
Coventry First Health $4,335 +$2,004
Beech Street $4,428 +$2,097
Humana $4,428 +$2,097

1 additional plans not shown.

Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center

Cash: $2,357
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Anthem Blue Medicare $338 -$2,018
Humana Medicare $338 -$2,018
Pace of the Southern Piedmont All Plans $338 -$2,018
UnitedHealthcare Medicare $338 -$2,018
Aetna Medicare $347 -$2,010
Cigna HealthSpring $349 -$2,008
Liberty Health Medicare HMO $355 -$2,002
Anthem Advantage65 $628 -$1,729
Anthem BlueCare $628 -$1,729
Anthem BlueMedicare HMO $628 -$1,729
Anthem BlueMedicare PPO $628 -$1,729
Anthem BlueSelect $628 -$1,729
Anthem HMO $628 -$1,729
Anthem BlueOptions $709 -$1,648

39 additional plans not shown.

Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center

Cash: $3,022
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Anthem Blue Medicare $338 -$2,683
Humana Medicare $338 -$2,683
Pace of the Southern Piedmont All Plans $338 -$2,683
UnitedHealthcare Medicare $338 -$2,683
Aetna Medicare $347 -$2,675
Cigna HealthSpring $349 -$2,673
Liberty Health Medicare HMO $355 -$2,666
Anthem Advantage65 $628 -$2,393
Anthem BlueCare $628 -$2,393
Anthem BlueMedicare HMO $628 -$2,393
Anthem BlueMedicare PPO $628 -$2,393
Anthem BlueSelect $628 -$2,393
Anthem HMO $628 -$2,393
Anthem BlueOptions $709 -$2,312

38 additional plans not shown.

Novant Health Medical Park Hospital

Cash: N/A
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate
Anthem Blue Medicare $338
Humana Medicare $338
Pace of the Southern Piedmont All Plans $338
UnitedHealthcare Medicare $338
Aetna Medicare $347
Cigna HealthSpring $349
Liberty Health Medicare HMO $355
Anthem Advantage65 $628
Anthem BlueCare $628
Anthem BlueMedicare HMO $628
Anthem BlueMedicare PPO $628
Anthem BlueSelect $628
Anthem HMO $628
Anthem BlueOptions $709

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 with and without Contrast (CPT 70553). 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
Lexington Memorial Hospital INC Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
High Point Regional Health System Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Novant Health Medical Park Hospital 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.