MRI of the brain with contrast cost in Iowa

Prices at 42 hospitals in Iowa, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,465 — 13% above the US median ($2,176), roughly 9.2× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Greater Regional Medical Center Creston, IA $1,016 $1,674 ★ 3/5 98 min 14.5%
Van Diest Medical Center Webster City, IA $1,019 $892 ★ 5/5 104 min 14.4%
Methodist Jennie Edmundson Council Bluffs, IA $1,100 $806 ★ 3/5 149 min 15.8%
Keokuk County Health Center Sigourney, IA $1,141 $1,255 15.0%
Mercyone Dubuque Medical Center Dubuque, IA $1,164 $356 ★ 3/5 212 min 15.6%
St Lukes Hospital Cedar Rapids, IA $1,371 $316 ★ 4/5 168 min 15.1%
St Lukes Regional Medical Center Sioux City, IA $1,371 $316 ★ 2/5 180 min 15.6%
Greene County Medical Center Jefferson, IA $1,434 $2,433 109 min 15.0%
Unitypoint Health-Marshalltown Marshalltown, IA $1,531 $347 ★ 3/5 154 min 15.2%
Allen Hospital Waterloo, IA $1,531 $316 ★ 3/5 159 min 15.6%
Mercyone Waterloo Medical Center Waterloo, IA $1,683 $356 ★ 4/5 226 min 13.9%
CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA $1,696 $773 ★ 5/5 169 min 15.1%
Jackson County Regional Health Center Maquoketa, IA $1,790 $1,168 80 min 15.1%
Buena Vista Regional Medical Center Storm Lake, IA $1,907 $2,312 ★ 2/5 151 min 15.0%
Finley Hospital Dubuque, IA $1,928 $359 ★ 3/5 114 min 16.0%
Stewart Memorial Community Hospital Lake City, IA $2,041 129 min 15.0%
Humboldt County Memorial Hospital Humboldt, IA $2,052 $1,775 96 min 14.8%
Community Memorial Hospital Medical Center Sumner, IA $2,116 118 min 14.7%
Cherokee Regional Medical Center Cherokee, IA $2,275 $2,528 ★ 2/5 132 min 14.8%
Story County Hospital Nevada, IA $2,655 $2,522 103 min 15.2%
Mercyone Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines, IA $2,692 $356 ★ 1/5 250 min 13.6%
Mercyone North Iowa Medical Center Mason City, IA $2,698 $356 ★ 2/5 188 min 14.3%
Clarke County Hospital Osceola, IA $2,850 $542 ★ 5/5 104 min 14.8%
CHI Health-Mercy Corning Corning, IA $2,876 $5,751 ★ 3/5 131 min 14.8%
Pocahontas Community Hospital Pocahontas, IA $2,922 $2,776 121 min

CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated June 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.

Price comparison (median)

Chargemaster (list price)
$3,492
Cash / self-pay
$2,465
Insurer-negotiated
$657
Medicare pays
$269
$1,104$3,744
Median cash $2,465  ·  Medicare $269  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $2,465 — about 9.2× the Medicare rate ($269). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($538).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $3,492 list price could save about $1,027 (29%).

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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

MRI of the brain with contrast cost in other states

All MRI of the brain with contrast prices (national) → · All hospitals in Iowa →