Prices at 5 hospitals in Birmingham, AL, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $606 — 70% below the US median ($2,048), roughly 2.7× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Vincent's East | Birmingham, AL | $606 | $376 | ★ 3/5 | 158 min | — |
| St Vincent's Birmingham | Birmingham, AL | $606 | $376 | ★ 3/5 | 243 min | — |
| The Children's Hospital of Alabama | Birmingham, AL | $1,751 | $3,238 | — | — | — |
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 October 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)
Typical cash price here is $606 — about 2.7× the Medicare rate ($226). On the higher side. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($453).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,789 list price could save about $1,183 (66%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Doctors who perform this in Birmingham
Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew White, D.O. | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 64 |
| Michael Ruff, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 42 |
| Arthur Sandy, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 29 |
| Hector Caballero, MD | Neurology | Birmingham, AL | 24 |
| Jinsuh Kim | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 15 |
| Diane Counce, MD | Neurology | Birmingham, AL | 13 |
All MRA of the brain prices in Alabama → · All MRA of the brain prices (national) · All hospitals in Birmingham