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MRI cost in Minnesota: hospital facility prices + radiologist read

Posted facility cash prices for MRI (brain, lumbar spine, knee) in Minnesota range from $223 to $3,813 across 119 hospitals, taken from each hospital’s own price file (Oct 2026); doctor fees are billed separately.

Lowest posted discounted-cash rate from each hospital’s price file (hospital-fee rows only) · Oct 2026

Price flags come from our manual audit of each hospital’s price file (Oct 30, 2026). “Low price checked in file” = we opened the file and the row is a real facility cash price. “May be a partial/component line” = the row looks like a component, per-unit, or bundled line, so the real price for this test may differ. Hover a flag for the reason. Always confirm with the hospital.

MRI brain without contrast · CPT 70551

Radiologist read: FROM FILE where tagged, else ESTIMATE = Medicare MN 70551-26 $66.42 ×1–3. Single-exam page →

By region

10 lowest facility prices statewide

All 118 hospitals with a posted price are listed on their region page (link above), with the same columns.

MRI lumbar spine without contrast · CPT 72148

Radiologist read: FROM FILE where tagged, else ESTIMATE = Medicare MN 72148-26 $67.10 ×1–3. Single-exam page →

By region

10 lowest facility prices statewide

All 119 hospitals with a posted price are listed on their region page (link above), with the same columns.

MRI knee (lower-extremity joint) without contrast · CPT 73721

Radiologist read: FROM FILE where tagged, else ESTIMATE = Medicare MN 73721-26 $61.62 ×1–3. Single-exam page →

By region

10 lowest facility prices statewide

All 114 hospitals with a posted price are listed on their region page (link above), with the same columns.

Gaps

• Sources: Center for Diagnostic Imaging (CDI) is now RAYUS, and the Minnesota centers share one posted RAYUS MN price file (Aug 2026). Affordable MRI and Diagnostic Imaging Center – Brooklyn Center are the same address (2781 Freeway Blvd Ste 160), listed once. Consulting Radiologists (CRL) has no public CPT cash list and no freestanding MRI/CT, so it is not listed.
• Facility price = hospital-fee rows only: rows with billing class “professional” or modifier 26 are excluded; where a hospital labels every row professional, the technical/global non-26 rate is used (re-extracted Oct 30, 2026).
• Radiologist read is FROM FILE only where the hospital posts ≥10 mod-26 professional rates in a CSV file; otherwise ESTIMATE (CMS 2026 MN ×1–3), not that hospital’s bill.
• VERIFY (Mayo Clinic Health System hospitals): rows are true radiologist-interpretation lines (description “PR …”, modifier 26, separate from TC), but most payer rates are listed as a percent of billed charges (≈95–97% of the gross charge), not a fixed contracted fee — the typical amount actually paid may be much lower. Shown as posted; ask Mayo for a Good Faith Estimate.
• JSON-format price files were scanned too; the ones we have (Aspirus St. Luke’s, Aspirus Lake View) list no payer dollar rates on their modifier-26 rows, so they stay ESTIMATE.
• Hospital rows with cash under $25 (likely unit/placeholder) are left out. Some hospitals’ files could not be read and are missing.

Twin Cities MRI → · MRI: hospital vs imaging center → · Statewide CT → · Statewide ultrasound →

Imaging price FAQ

What does “facility cash” mean?

The lowest discounted cash (self-pay) rate a hospital posts for the scan itself in its own price file. It covers the machine, room and technologist, not the doctor who reads the images.

Why is the RAYUS price higher than some hospital facility prices?

RAYUS posts a global cash price: scan + radiologist read in one number (RAYUS MN price file, Aug 2026). A hospital facility price leaves the read out, so compare RAYUS with the hospital all-in range, not the facility price alone.

Why does the hospital all-in add a radiologist fee separately?

Hospitals usually bill the radiologist’s read separately (a professional fee, CPT modifier 26). We add it as a range: FROM FILE where the hospital posts enough of those rates, otherwise an ESTIMATE based on Medicare’s Minnesota fee ×1–3. How we estimate

What does VERIFY or “% of charges” mean?

Some files (e.g. Mayo Clinic Health System) list payer rates as a percent of billed charges, not a fixed dollar fee. We show them as posted and mark them VERIFY; what is actually paid may be much lower.

How do I get a firm price?

If you are uninsured or self-pay, you can ask for a written Good Faith Estimate before the scan. See your billing rights.

Prices by city: Rochester · Duluth · St. Cloud · Mankato · Brainerd · Bemidji · Willmar · Alexandria · Hibbing · Grand Rapids · Winona · Albert Lea · Red Wing · Northfield · Owatonna · Faribault · Marshall · Worthington · New Ulm · Hutchinson · Fairmont · Virginia · Detroit Lakes · Thief River Falls · International Falls · Cloquet · Little Falls · Monticello · Crookston · Mora · Blue Earth · Burnsville · Coon Rapids · Edina · Maple Grove · Maplewood · New Prague · Robbinsdale · Shakopee · Stillwater · Waconia · Woodbury · Park Rapids · Breckenridge · Wabasha · Grand Marais · Minneapolis · Saint Paul · St. Louis Park

Prices by region: Metro Minnesota · Northeast Minnesota · Southeast Minnesota · Central Minnesota · Southwest Minnesota · West Central Minnesota · South Central Minnesota · Northwest Minnesota

Facility fee only — doctor/radiologist, anesthesia, and pathology fees are billed separately and are not included. Prices come from each hospital’s own posted standard-charges file, last checked Oct 2026. Negotiated median is across all insurer rates in the file; it is not your plan’s price. Your insurer (Blue Cross, HealthPartners, Medica, UCare, etc.) may pay a different rate, and your cost depends on your deductible and coinsurance. Always ask for a Good Faith Estimate. Facility price = hospital-fee rows only (no “professional” billing class, no modifier 26; where a hospital labels every row professional, the technical/global non-26 rate is used). Re-extracted Oct 30, 2026. Know your billing rights.

How we got these prices · Last updated: Oct 30, 2026 (data files compiled). Data sources: hospitals’ own posted price files (machine-readable files parsed Oct 2026); doctor/radiologist estimates from CMS CY2026 Physician Fee Schedule (RVU26D, Oct 2026 release).