Price Comparison Report

MRI Brain without Contrast

Winston-Salem, NC · 4 facilities · CPT 70551 · September 06, 2026

Summary

4 facilities within 25 miles of Winston-Salem publish prices for MRI Brain without Contrast. Cash prices range from $1,003 to $1,276 — a 1.3x difference for an identical procedure. The North Carolina average is $2,413.

$1,003 lowest
$1,276 highest
Best Value

Davie Medical Center

Bermuda Run, VA · Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist · 12.0 mi

$1,003 Cash price

Lowest published cash price in the area at $1,003.

All facilities ranked by price

1
Davie Medical Center · 12.0 mi ·
$1,003
2
High Point Regional Health System 2★ · 16.7 mi · Nonprofit
$1,245
3
Novant Health Clemmons Medical Center · 9.0 mi ·
$1,276
Complete facility data
# Facility Cash Price Gross Charge Markup CMS Stars Patient Rating Ownership
1 Davie Medical Center Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Bermuda Run, NC · 12.0 mi $1,003 $2,005 2.0x — —
2 High Point Regional Health System UNC Health High Point, NC · 16.7 mi $1,245 $2,489 2.0x 2/5 64.0% Nonprofit
3 Novant Health Clemmons Medical Center Novant Health Clemmons, NC · 9.0 mi $1,276 $2,127 1.67x — —
4 Novant Health Kernersville Medical Center Novant Health Kernersville, NC · 9.6 mi — — — — —

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.

Davie Medical Center

Cash: $1,003
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Medicare — $225 -$778
Cigna — $225 -$778
Humana — $227 -$776
Medicaid — $388 -$615
UnitedHealthcare — $562 -$441
Ambetter — $599 -$404
Blue Local Individual — $617 -$386
Aetna — $740 -$263
Blue Cross Blue Shield — $824 -$179
MedCost — $982 -$21
Direct Net Managed Care — $1,185 +$182
Healthgram Managed Care — $1,404 +$401

High Point Regional Health System

Cash: $1,245
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Cigna — $241 -$1,004
Medicare — $241 -$1,004
Humana — $246 -$999
Medicaid — $388 -$857
UnitedHealthcare — $391 -$854
MedCost — $1,142 -$103
Aetna — $1,195 -$50
Blue Cross Blue Shield — $1,205 -$40
Direct Net — $1,471 +$226
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

Novant Health Clemmons Medical Center

Cash: $1,276
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Medicare $231 -$1,045
Humana Medicare $231 -$1,045
Pace of the Southern Piedmont All Plans $231 -$1,045
UnitedHealthcare Medicare $231 -$1,045
Aetna Medicare $237 -$1,039
Cigna HealthSpring $238 -$1,038
Liberty Health Medicare HMO $243 -$1,033
Carolina Complete Medicaid $395 -$881
AmeriHealth Medicaid $403 -$873
Blue Cross Blue Shield Healthy Blue Medicaid $403 -$873
UnitedHealthcare Medicaid $403 -$873
Wellcare Medicaid $403 -$873
Blue Cross Blue Shield Advantage65 $435 -$842
Blue Cross Blue Shield BlueCare $435 -$842

39 additional plans not shown.

Novant Health Kernersville Medical Center

Cash: N/A
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate
Blue Cross Blue Shield 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
Blue Cross Blue Shield Advantage65 $435
Blue Cross Blue Shield BlueCare $435
Blue Cross Blue Shield BlueMedicare HMO $435
Blue Cross Blue Shield BlueMedicare PPO $435
Blue Cross Blue Shield BlueSelect $435
Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO $435
Blue Cross Blue Shield 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
Davie Medical Center — N/A (for-profit)
High Point Regional Health System Nonprofit — Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Novant Health Clemmons Medical Center — N/A (for-profit)
Novant Health Kernersville Medical Center — 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.