Independent imaging center: one global payment, no hospital facility fee
A freestanding imaging center typically owns the scanner and bills the service globally under the Physician Fee Schedule - technical and professional components together, or split between the center and the interpreting radiologist without a hospital facility bill.
Confirm your price in writing before service. Ask whether the quote is facility-only or all-in.
- Setting
- Freestanding MRI, CT, ultrasound, mammography, and X-ray centers
- Payment system
- Physician Fee Schedule global payment when the center owns the equipment and employs or contracts the radiologist
- Facility fee
- No separate hospital facility fee - the technical component is inside the global PFS payment
For brain MRI without contrast (CPT 70551) the verified CY2025 PFS global anchor is $193.67, split into professional $68.81 and technical $124.86. For CT abdomen and pelvis with contrast (CPT 74177) the global anchor is $296.94. In a hospital outpatient department the same codes trigger an OPPS facility payment (for example $540.27 for the MRI without contrast composite) plus the professional fee. That payment-system difference, not a different scan, explains most of the price gap patients see.
Imaging centers compete on scheduled outpatient imaging. Cash prices cluster closer to the PFS global anchor than hospital bills do, but they still vary by market, scanner, and whether interpretation is included. Always ask whether the quote includes the radiologist report and standard image delivery to the ordering clinician.
When your clinician allows a choice of site, price the same CPT code at an imaging center and at the hospital outpatient department. Compare all-in to all-in, and confirm your price in writing before service.
Medicare anchors to compare
Use these verified anchors to judge the facility lever. They are Medicare amounts, not cash prices.
| Procedure | CPT | PFS anchor | OPPS facility anchor where verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| MRI Without Contrast | 70551 | $193.67 global | $540.27 (APC 8007) |
| MRI With Contrast | 70553 | $314.74 global | $854.83 (APC 8008) |
| CT Abdomen and Pelvis | 74177 | $296.94 global | $435.12 (APC 8006) |
| CT Head | 70450 | $105.31 global | $224.55 (APC 8005) |
| Ultrasound Abdomen | 76700 | $112.22 global | $306.50 (APC 8004) |
| Screening Mammogram | 77067 | $124.39 global | See procedure page |
Full anchors for all 10 procedures are on the procedure pages and in the Price Anchor Explorer. Method and source limits are in Methodology.
How facility fees work, in one paragraph
A facility fee pays for the room, equipment, nursing and technologist time, supplies, and recovery - everything except the clinician's own work. Hospitals bill it under OPPS, ASCs under the ASC system, and imaging centers and offices fold it into the technical or nonfacility PFS payment. When a quote looks unusually low, ask which layers it leaves out. When a quote looks unusually high, ask which facility system produced it.
Why the same scan costs more at a hospital
The scan protocol for a given CPT code is standardized. The price difference comes from the payment system, the overhead priced into that system, and what is bundled into the quote. Hospital OPPS payment plus a separate professional fee will usually exceed a single PFS global payment for the same code. That is a payment-system fact, not a claim about quality. MyCarePrice does not rate facilities or recommend where you should go. We explain the price structure so you can ask an informed question.
Questions to ask in this setting
- What CPT code will be billed, and is this quote for that exact code?
- Is this an all-in price, or will professional, anesthesia, or pathology bill separately?
- What would the same code cost in the other settings your practice uses?
- Can I have the price in writing, with code, setting, and inclusions listed, before service?