Prices at 6 hospitals in Charlotte, NC, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,765 — 3% below the US median ($1,820), roughly 9.0× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center | Charlotte, NC | $1,550 | $551 | ★ 5/5 | 162 min | — |
| Novant Health Ballantyne Medical Center | Charlotte, NC | $1,586 | $653 | — | 192 min | — |
| Atrium Health Pineville | Charlotte, NC | $1,765 | $697 | ★ 3/5 | 160 min | — |
| Carolinas Medical Center/behav Health | Charlotte, NC | $1,765 | $936 | ★ 4/5 | 196 min | — |
| Atrium Health University City | Charlotte, NC | $1,765 | $705 | ★ 3/5 | 148 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 $1,765 — about 9.0× 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 $3,531 list price could save about $1,765 (50%).
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 Charlotte
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vincent Dam, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Charlotte, NC | 319 |
| Yin Chen, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Charlotte, NC | 307 |
| Jessica Zhang, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Charlotte, NC | 292 |
| Brian Perry, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Charlotte, NC | 278 |
| Emmanuel Botzolakis, M.D., PH.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Charlotte, NC | 276 |
| Robert Barr, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Charlotte, NC | 270 |
| David Altman, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Charlotte, NC | 265 |
| Aaron Jones, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Charlotte, NC | 223 |
| Aaron Baer, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Charlotte, NC | 212 |
| Prashanth Sompalli, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Charlotte, NC | 211 |
| James Leclair, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Charlotte, NC | 191 |
| Michael Yu, MD PHD | Diagnostic Radiology | Charlotte, NC | 190 |
All MRI of the brain without contrast prices in North Carolina → · All MRI of the brain without contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Charlotte