Prices at 5 hospitals in Birmingham, AL, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,127 — 38% below the US median ($1,820), roughly 5.8× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Children's Hospital of Alabama | Birmingham, AL | $893 | $1,651 | — | — | — |
| St. Vincent's East | Birmingham, AL | $1,127 | $376 | ★ 3/5 | 158 min | — |
| St Vincent's Birmingham | Birmingham, AL | $1,127 | $376 | ★ 3/5 | 243 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 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 $1,127 — about 5.8× the Medicare rate ($195). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($391).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $3,046 list price could save about $1,919 (63%).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Ruff, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 241 |
| Carlton Smith, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 238 |
| Philip Chapman, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 175 |
| Arthur Sandy, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 158 |
| Todd Brightbill, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 143 |
| William Gallmann, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 127 |
| Allen Nawrocki, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 113 |
| Jinsuh Kim | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 112 |
| Jonathan Strong, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 103 |
| Andrew White, D.O. | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 84 |
| Atif Wasim Haneef Mohamed, M.B.B.S., D.N.B. | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 79 |
| Ryan Telford, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 73 |
All MRI of the brain without contrast prices in Alabama → · All MRI of the brain without contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Birmingham