Cost analysis for CPT 70551 — Mri scan of brain without contrast
Average Medicare Payment
$73.16
2023 data
Total Payments (2023)
$79.7M
Services (2023)
1.1M
Price Change (2014–2023)
-12.8%
| Year | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $83.89 | $78.0M | 959.2K | — |
| 2015 | $80.50 | $79.5M | 1.0M | -4.0% |
| 2016 | $78.80 | $84.1M | 1.1M | -2.1% |
| 2017 | $79.48 | $87.3M | 1.1M | +0.9% |
| 2018 | $80.76 | $90.0M | 1.1M | +1.6% |
| 2019 | $80.32 | $92.7M | 1.2M | -0.5% |
| 2020 | $79.42 | $76.9M | 984.6K | -1.1% |
| 2021 | $77.82 | $83.4M | 1.1M | -2.0% |
| 2022 | $74.68 | $80.7M | 1.1M | -4.0% |
| 2023 | $73.16 | $79.7M | 1.1M | -2.0% |
The most expensive state pays 2.3x more than the cheapest for this procedure. PR averages $113.49 vs AA at $49.60.
| State | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR | $113.49 | $97.4K | 858 | 30 |
| GU | $106.09 | $23.2K | 219 | 4 |
| NY | $100.98 | $8.1M | 80.5K | 710 |
| DC | $95.82 | $588.8K | 6.1K | 37 |
| NJ | $93.70 | $3.4M | 36.0K | 344 |
| MD | $89.61 | $2.7M | 30.4K | 258 |
| CA | $87.38 | $10.0M | 114.2K | 1.3K |
| NV | $84.15 | $762.4K | 9.1K | 108 |
| FL | $83.77 | $6.9M | 82.0K | 995 |
| AK | $82.83 | $242.7K | 2.9K | 46 |
| AZ | $81.53 | $1.9M | 23.8K | 231 |
| HI | $77.25 | $211.4K | 2.7K | 43 |
| MA | $74.84 | $2.7M | 35.6K | 399 |
| CT | $72.89 | $915.2K | 12.6K | 160 |
| CO | $72.27 | $1.4M | 19.1K | 231 |
| TX | $71.14 | $5.5M | 78.0K | 933 |
| WY | $70.68 | $115.1K | 1.6K | 32 |
| RI | $70.18 | $306.1K | 4.4K | 50 |
| VA | $69.27 | $2.3M | 32.5K | 308 |
| DE | $67.90 | $445.5K | 6.6K | 43 |
| WA | $67.54 | $1.5M | 22.0K | 237 |
| GA | $67.20 | $2.2M | 32.4K | 406 |
| SC | $66.26 | $1.2M | 18.3K | 245 |
| MI | $66.16 | $1.4M | 20.9K | 315 |
| ME | $65.88 | $353.8K | 5.4K | 69 |
| PA | $64.85 | $2.9M | 44.5K | 611 |
| MN | $64.64 | $1.7M | 26.7K | 450 |
| NM | $64.59 | $276.7K | 4.3K | 74 |
| AL | $64.27 | $1.1M | 17.3K | 297 |
| IL | $63.71 | $2.4M | 38.3K | 577 |
| LA | $63.11 | $804.4K | 12.7K | 228 |
| OR | $62.94 | $629.4K | 10.0K | 165 |
| WV | $62.32 | $275.6K | 4.4K | 95 |
| NC | $62.30 | $2.4M | 38.7K | 406 |
| TN | $60.87 | $1.7M | 27.7K | 367 |
| OH | $60.24 | $1.9M | 31.9K | 390 |
| NH | $59.77 | $351.3K | 5.9K | 101 |
| MS | $58.66 | $602.9K | 10.3K | 133 |
| KS | $58.50 | $460.9K | 7.9K | 141 |
| OK | $58.16 | $642.0K | 11.0K | 185 |
| IA | $57.88 | $453.6K | 7.8K | 119 |
| UT | $57.66 | $445.9K | 7.7K | 136 |
| MO | $57.29 | $1.2M | 21.2K | 287 |
| IN | $57.29 | $1.0M | 18.2K | 266 |
| KY | $57.26 | $634.2K | 11.1K | 191 |
| ND | $56.89 | $147.8K | 2.6K | 39 |
| WI | $56.54 | $786.2K | 13.9K | 261 |
| MT | $56.10 | $183.3K | 3.3K | 48 |
| SD | $55.61 | $142.9K | 2.6K | 33 |
| ID | $55.20 | $271.1K | 4.9K | 72 |
| NE | $54.68 | $279.5K | 5.1K | 91 |
| Provider | Specialty | State | Payments | Services | Avg/Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Singer | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $252.5K | 1.4K | $185.66 |
| Richard Silvergleid | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $214.9K | 1.3K | $163.21 |
| Katya Shpilberg | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $172.7K | 946 | $182.58 |
| Harold Tice | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $148.8K | 858 | $173.38 |
| Eliyahu Engelsohn | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $138.1K | 780 | $177.07 |
| Ron Ayanzen | Diagnostic Radiology | AZ | $133.4K | 1.5K | $87.19 |
| Yakup Akyol | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $127.5K | 689 | $185.01 |
| Parham Farid | Diagnostic Radiology | DC | $125.6K | 698 | $179.93 |
| Gateway Diagnostic Imaging Llc | Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility (IDTF) | TX | $114.0K | 787 | $144.80 |
| Kevin Berger | Diagnostic Radiology | MD | $108.8K | 1.3K | $84.30 |
| Alexander Mark | Diagnostic Radiology | MD | $107.2K | 857 | $125.13 |
| Ronak Shah | Diagnostic Radiology | GA | $99.5K | 1.1K | $92.46 |
| Eric Biondo-Savin | Diagnostic Radiology | MI | $96.7K | 648 | $149.25 |
| Stephen Hershowitz | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $95.8K | 558 | $171.69 |
| William Fowlkes | Diagnostic Radiology | MD | $93.2K | 520 | $179.31 |
| Michelle Rotblat-Operman | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $92.7K | 1.0K | $91.69 |
| Leslie Miller | Diagnostic Radiology | NJ | $92.0K | 513 | $179.34 |
| Harold Augenstein | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $90.1K | 496 | $181.67 |
| Gary Tubman | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $90.1K | 499 | $180.57 |
| Inova Health Care Services | Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility (IDTF) | VA | $89.7K | 725 | $123.67 |
The data suggests significant pricing inconsistencies for CPT 70551. With a 2.3x price gap between the most and least expensive states, geography plays an outsized role in what Medicare pays for this procedure.
While costs have decreased 12.8% since 2014, the wide state-by-state variation suggests the pricing formula may not adequately account for regional differences.
This analysis is based on publicly available CMS data and does not account for patient complexity, comorbidities, or facility-specific factors that may justify pricing differences.
Note: All data is from publicly available Medicare records. OpenMedicare is an independent journalism project not affiliated with CMS.