Summary

10 facilities within 25 miles of Norfolk publish prices for MRI Brain with and without Contrast. Cash prices range from $2,440 to $6,191 — a 2.5x difference for an identical procedure. The Virginia average is $3,897.

$2,440 lowest
$6,191 highest
Best Value

Sentara Princess Anne Hospital

Virginia Beach, VA · Sentara Health · 17.0 mi

$3,666 Cash price
4/5 CMS rating
78.0% Patient satisfaction

Lowest price among hospitals rated 4 stars or above. Patient satisfaction: 78%. Cash price of $3,666 is below the statewide average of $3,897.

All facilities ranked by price

1
Chesapeake General Hospital 3★ · 5.7 mi · Local government
$2,440
2
Sentara Princess Anne Hospital 4★ · 17.0 mi · Nonprofit
$3,666
3
Sentara Leigh Hospital 4★ · 0.0 mi · Nonprofit
$3,666
4
Sentara Obici Hospital 4★ · 0.2 mi · Nonprofit
$3,666
5
Sentara Careplex Hospital 4★ · 12.8 mi · Nonprofit
$3,666
6
Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital 4★ · 17.0 mi · Nonprofit
$3,666
7
Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center 3★ · 18.3 mi · Nonprofit
$4,011
8
Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters · 0.0 mi · Nonprofit
$6,191
Complete facility data
# Facility Cash Price Gross Charge Markup CMS Stars Patient Rating Ownership
1 Chesapeake General Hospital Chesapeake, VA · 5.7 mi $2,440 $4,067 1.67x 3/5 67.0% Local government
2 Sentara Princess Anne Hospital Sentara Health Virginia Beach, VA · 17.0 mi $3,666 $7,331 2.0x 4/5 78.0% Nonprofit
3 Sentara Leigh Hospital Sentara Health Norfolk, VA · 0.0 mi $3,666 $7,331 2.0x 4/5 76.0% Nonprofit
4 Sentara Obici Hospital Sentara Health Suffolk, VA · 0.2 mi $3,666 $7,331 2.0x 4/5 73.0% Nonprofit
5 Sentara Careplex Hospital Sentara Health Hampton, VA · 12.8 mi $3,666 $7,331 2.0x 4/5 73.0% Nonprofit
6 Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital Sentara Health Virginia Beach, VA · 17.0 mi $3,666 $7,331 2.0x 4/5 71.0% Nonprofit
7 Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center Bon Secours Mercy Health Portsmouth, VA · 18.3 mi $4,011 $6,685 1.67x 3/5 67.0% Nonprofit
8 Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters Norfolk, VA · 0.0 mi $6,191 $6,879 1.11x Nonprofit
9 Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital Riverside Health System Onancock, VA · 0.2 mi 3/5 81.0% Nonprofit
10 Riverside Regional Medical Center Riverside Health System Newport News, VA · 19.3 mi 3/5 72.0% 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.

Chesapeake General Hospital

Cash: $2,440
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $340 -$2,100
Humana Medicare Managed Care Plan $347 -$2,093
Aetna All Commercial Plans $369 -$2,071
Anthem Anthem Hmo $856 -$1,584
Anthem Anthem Ppo $901 -$1,539
Sentara Health Plans Hmo/Pos $3,344 +$904
Sentara Health Plans Ppo $3,612 +$1,171

Sentara Princess Anne Hospital

Cash: $3,666
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Sentara Health Plan Medicare Managed Care Plan $347 -$3,318
Humana Medicare Managed Care Plan $351 -$3,315
Anthem Anthem Medicare Managed Care Plan $357 -$3,309
UnitedHealthcare Dsnp Medicare Managed Care Plan $357 -$3,308
Anthem Anthem Exchange $1,061 -$2,605
Anthem Anthem Hmo $1,134 -$2,531
Anthem Anthem Ppo $1,182 -$2,484
Sentara Health Plan Exchange $1,852 -$1,814
Sentara Health Plan Hmo/Pos $1,907 -$1,758
Sentara Health Plan Ppo $1,913 -$1,752
Cigna Ppo/Pos $8,717 +$5,051

Sentara Leigh Hospital

Cash: $3,666
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Sentara Health Plan Medicare Managed Care Plan $347 -$3,318
Humana Medicare Managed Care Plan $351 -$3,315
Anthem Anthem Medicare Managed Care Plan $357 -$3,309
UnitedHealthcare Dsnp Medicare Managed Care Plan $357 -$3,308
Anthem Anthem Exchange $928 -$2,738
Anthem Anthem Hmo $992 -$2,673
Anthem Anthem Ppo $1,033 -$2,632
Sentara Health Plan Exchange $1,853 -$1,812
Sentara Health Plan Hmo/Pos $1,879 -$1,786
Sentara Health Plan Ppo $1,887 -$1,778
Cigna Ppo/Pos $8,717 +$5,051

Sentara Obici Hospital

Cash: $3,666
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Sentara Health Plan Medicare Managed Care Plan $347 -$3,318
Humana Medicare Managed Care Plan $351 -$3,315
Anthem Anthem Medicare Managed Care Plan $357 -$3,309
UnitedHealthcare Dsnp Medicare Managed Care Plan $357 -$3,308
Aetna All Commercial Plans $813 -$2,853
Anthem Anthem Exchange $1,237 -$2,428
Anthem Anthem Hmo $1,324 -$2,342
Anthem Anthem Ppo $1,379 -$2,287
Sentara Health Plan Exchange $1,847 -$1,818
Sentara Health Plan Hmo/Pos $1,900 -$1,766
Sentara Health Plan Ppo $1,906 -$1,760
Cigna Ppo/Pos $8,717 +$5,051

Sentara Careplex Hospital

Cash: $3,666
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Sentara Health Plan Medicare Managed Care Plan $347 -$3,318
Humana Medicare Managed Care Plan $351 -$3,315
Anthem Anthem Medicare Managed Care Plan $357 -$3,309
UnitedHealthcare Dsnp Medicare Managed Care Plan $357 -$3,308
Anthem Anthem Exchange $1,068 -$2,597
Anthem Anthem Hmo $1,143 -$2,523
Anthem Anthem Ppo $1,190 -$2,475
Sentara Health Plan Exchange $1,853 -$1,812
Sentara Health Plan Ppo $1,887 -$1,778
Sentara Health Plan Hmo/Pos $1,906 -$1,760

Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital

Cash: $3,666
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $347 -$3,318
Humana Medicare Managed Care Plan $351 -$3,315
Anthem Anthem Medicare Managed Care Plan $357 -$3,309
UnitedHealthcare Dsnp Medicare Managed Care Plan $357 -$3,308
Anthem Anthem Exchange $700 -$2,965
Anthem Anthem Hmo $753 -$2,913
Anthem Anthem Ppo $804 -$2,861
Cigna Connect Exchange $1,605 -$2,061
Cigna Ppo/Pos $1,744 -$1,921
Carefirst Hmo $3,942 +$276
Carefirst Ppo $4,337 +$672

Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital

Cash: N/A
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate
Anthem PPO Products $104
Anthem HMO Products $104
Aetna All Commerical Products $1,389

Riverside Regional Medical Center

Cash: N/A
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate
Anthem PPO Products $104
Anthem HMO Products $104
Aetna All Commerical Products $1,389

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
Chesapeake General Hospital Local government N/A (for-profit)
Sentara Princess Anne Hospital Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Sentara Leigh Hospital Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Sentara Obici Hospital Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Sentara Careplex Hospital Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Riverside Regional 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.