Prices at 6 hospitals in Saint Louis, MO, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,739 — 5% below the US median ($1,828), roughly 8.9× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital South | Saint Louis, MO | $1,266 | $361 | ★ 2/5 | 246 min | 15.8% |
| Missouri Baptist Medical Center | Saint Louis, MO | $1,382 | $989 | ★ 5/5 | 252 min | 14.8% |
| Christian Hospital Northeast | Saint Louis, MO | $1,382 | $1,024 | ★ 4/5 | 223 min | 14.7% |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis | Saint Louis, MO | $2,096 | $344 | ★ 4/5 | 217 min | 15.1% |
| Shriners Hospitals for Children | Saint Louis, MO | $2,563 | $273 | — | — | — |
| St Louis Childrens Hospital | Saint Louis, MO | $3,385 | $3,667 | — | — | — |
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 July 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 $1,739 — about 8.9× 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 $2,433 list price could save about $694 (29%).
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 Saint Louis
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Vu, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 442 |
| Adam Orr, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 224 |
| Daniel Choe, DO | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 208 |
| Francis Wu, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 196 |
| Christine Osmon, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 194 |
| Jordan Nepute, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 190 |
| Jordan Gutovich, MD | Neurology | Saint Louis, MO | 168 |
| Gerald Palagallo, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 155 |
| Jay Nelson, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 153 |
| Mina Mousa, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 152 |
| Talha Allam, M.D | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 140 |
| Taylor Greenwood, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 138 |
All MRI of the brain without contrast prices in Missouri → · All MRI of the brain without contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Saint Louis