# MRI cost checklist and CPT finder

Pick the body part you are pricing and how you will pay. This checklist gives the CPT code for your scan, the questions to ask the hospital before you schedule, and what to look for in the hospital's published price file.

Use the tool on the [web page](https://mriprices.fyi/tools/mri-cost-checklist). It works without JavaScript.

## How to use it

1. Choose the body part you are pricing.
2. Choose how you will pay.
3. Note the CPT code for your scan.
4. Call the hospital with the list of questions.
5. Ask for a written cash quote before you schedule.

## How it works

CPT codes 70551, 72148, 73221 and 73721 are the AMA Current Procedural Terminology codes for brain, lumbar spine, shoulder and knee MRI without contrast. The with-contrast codes sit in the same families. The federal price transparency rule (45 CFR 180) requires each hospital to publish its standard charges, including cash discount prices, in a machine-readable file.

This site lists every hospital on the CMS hospital roster. Prices are read from each hospital's own machine-readable file (MRF) by matching the CPT code in the file to the scan on this page. Until a hospital's file is parsed, the listing shows the price as undisclosed rather than guessing a number.

> This checklist is a planning aid, not a price quote and not medical advice. Prices come from each hospital's own published files; the rule changes and exceptions exist, so confirm every number with the hospital before you schedule.

## Questions

### Why does this site show hospitals without prices?

Phase 1 lists the hospitals on the CMS roster. Prices come from each hospital's published machine-readable file, which we parse in phase 2. We never invent a price, so a hospital whose file is not parsed yet honestly reads undisclosed.

### Which CPT code do I need?

Use 70551 for a head (brain) MRI without contrast, 72148 for a lumbar spine MRI, 73221 for a shoulder MRI and 73721 for a knee MRI. With-contrast and without-and-with-contrast versions sit next to each code in the same family.

### Is the cash price the same as the price my insurance gets?

Not necessarily. The cash (self-pay) price, the negotiated rate with each insurer and the list price are all different rows in a hospital's file. Ask which one you are being quoted and get it in writing.

### Do I need a referral or prescription for an MRI?

Usually yes: most hospitals schedule an MRI only with an order from a physician. Ask the hospital's scheduling desk for its own rule, and ask whether an imaging center is cheaper than the hospital.