Prices at 3 hospitals in Charleston, SC, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $3,288 — 81% above the US median ($1,820), roughly 16.8× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bon Secours-St Francis Xavier Hospital | Charleston, SC | $3,288 | — | ★ 3/5 | 153 min | — |
| Roper Hospital | Charleston, SC | $3,288 | — | ★ 4/5 | 96 min | — |
| Trident Medical Center | Charleston, SC | $13,170 | $470 | ★ 3/5 | 126 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 $3,288 — about 16.8× 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 $5,059 list price could save about $1,771 (35%).
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 Charleston
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 Anderson, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Charleston, SC | 277 |
| Lee Hewett, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Charleston, SC | 249 |
| Andrew Barnes, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Charleston, SC | 249 |
| John Hungerford, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Charleston, SC | 244 |
| William Crymes, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Charleston, SC | 243 |
| Stephen Bagg, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Charleston, SC | 231 |
| Justin Chetta, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Charleston, SC | 221 |
| John Rand, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Charleston, SC | 216 |
| Luis Ramos-Duran, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Charleston, SC | 216 |
| Maria Matheus, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Charleston, SC | 206 |
| Michael Antonucci, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Charleston, SC | 172 |
| Eric Bass, D.O. | Diagnostic Radiology | Charleston, SC | 169 |
All MRI of the brain without contrast prices in South Carolina → · All MRI of the brain without contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Charleston