Summary

5 facilities within 25 miles of High Point publish prices for MRI Brain without Contrast. Cash prices range from $1,003 to $1,946 — a 1.9x difference for an identical procedure. The North Carolina average is $2,742.

$1,003 lowest
$1,946 highest
Best Value

Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center

Winston-Salem, VA · Novant Health · 14.4 mi

$1,517 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 $1,517 is below the statewide average of $2,742.

All facilities ranked by price

1
Lexington Memorial Hospital INC 3★ · 14.4 mi · Nonprofit
$1,003
2
High Point Regional Health System 2★ · 0.0 mi · Nonprofit
$1,245
3
Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center 4★ · 14.4 mi · Nonprofit
$1,517
4
Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center 3★ · 14.4 mi · Nonprofit
$1,946
Complete facility data
# Facility Cash Price Gross Charge Markup CMS Stars Patient Rating Ownership
1 Lexington Memorial Hospital INC Lexington, NC · 14.4 mi $1,003 $2,005 2.0x 3/5 72.0% Nonprofit
2 High Point Regional Health System High Point, NC · 0.0 mi $1,245 $2,489 2.0x 2/5 64.0% Nonprofit
3 Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center Novant Health Winston-Salem, NC · 14.4 mi $1,517 $2,529 1.67x 4/5 68.0% Nonprofit
4 Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center Novant Health Thomasville, NC · 14.4 mi $1,946 $3,243 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 without Contrast. Your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your deductible status and copay structure.

Lexington Memorial Hospital INC

Cash: $1,003
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Medicare $225 -$778
Cigna $225 -$778
HealthTeam Advantage $225 -$778
Medicaid $417 -$586
Blue Local Individual $571 -$432
Ambetter $678 -$325
Blue Local Group $766 -$237
Blue Value $858 -$145
Medcost Ultra $880 -$123
Anthem $950 -$53
UnitedHealthcare $1,001 -$2
DirectNet $1,185 +$182
Medcost $1,393 +$390
Healthgram Lexington Brands $1,444 +$441
Coventry Wellpath $1,500 +$497

7 additional plans not shown.

High Point Regional Health System

Cash: $1,245
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Cigna $241 -$1,004
Medicare $241 -$1,004
Medicaid $388 -$857
Revenue Code $610 -$635
Medcost Ultra $1,142 -$103
Direct Net $1,471 +$226
Aetna $1,568 +$323
Medcost $1,705 +$460
Anthem $1,767 +$522
Coventry WellPath Carolinas $1,991 +$746
Coventry WellPath (National) $2,116 +$871
Coventry First Health $2,315 +$1,070
Beech Street $2,365 +$1,120
Humana $2,365 +$1,120

1 additional plans not shown.

Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center

Cash: $1,517
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Anthem Blue Medicare $231 -$1,286
Humana Medicare $231 -$1,286
Pace of the Southern Piedmont All Plans $231 -$1,286
UnitedHealthcare Medicare $231 -$1,286
Aetna Medicare $237 -$1,280
Cigna HealthSpring $238 -$1,279
Liberty Health Medicare HMO $243 -$1,274
Anthem Advantage65 $435 -$1,083
Anthem BlueCare $435 -$1,083
Anthem BlueMedicare HMO $435 -$1,083
Anthem BlueMedicare PPO $435 -$1,083
Anthem BlueSelect $435 -$1,083
Anthem HMO $435 -$1,083
Carolina Complete Medicaid $470 -$1,048

39 additional plans not shown.

Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center

Cash: $1,946
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Anthem Blue Medicare $231 -$1,714
Humana Medicare $231 -$1,714
Pace of the Southern Piedmont All Plans $231 -$1,714
UnitedHealthcare Medicare $231 -$1,714
Aetna Medicare $237 -$1,709
Cigna HealthSpring $238 -$1,707
Liberty Health Medicare HMO $243 -$1,703
Anthem Advantage65 $435 -$1,511
Anthem BlueCare $435 -$1,511
Anthem BlueMedicare HMO $435 -$1,511
Anthem BlueMedicare PPO $435 -$1,511
Anthem BlueSelect $435 -$1,511
Anthem HMO $435 -$1,511
Anthem BlueOptions $491 -$1,455

38 additional plans not shown.

Novant Health Medical Park Hospital

Cash: N/A
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate
Anthem Blue Medicare $231
Humana Medicare $231
Pace of the Southern Piedmont All Plans $231
UnitedHealthcare Medicare $231
Aetna Medicare $237
Cigna HealthSpring $238
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
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.