Prices at 5 hospitals in Birmingham, AL, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $590 — 69% below the US median ($1,929), roughly 2.9× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Vincent's East | Birmingham, AL | $590 | $388 | ★ 3/5 | 158 min | — |
| St Vincent's Birmingham | Birmingham, AL | $590 | $388 | ★ 3/5 | 243 min | — |
| The Children's Hospital of Alabama | Birmingham, AL | $893 | $1,682 | — | — | — |
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 $590 — about 2.9× the Medicare rate ($204). On the higher side. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($409).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $2,077 list price could save about $1,487 (72%).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Lawton, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 182 |
| David Cosper, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 165 |
| Patrick Aldred, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 161 |
| David Breland, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 127 |
| Matthew Larrison | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 116 |
| Kristen Howard, DO | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 72 |
| Daniel Booth, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 51 |
| Robert Eichelberger, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 44 |
| Garrett Colby, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 44 |
| Brian Capogna, MD | Orthopedic Surgery | Birmingham, AL | 33 |
| Scott Orr, M.D. | Orthopedic Surgery | Birmingham, AL | 31 |
| Mark Rogers, M.D. | Sports Medicine | Birmingham, AL | 29 |
All MRI of the knee without contrast prices in Alabama → · All MRI of the knee without contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Birmingham