MRI of the Lower Back (Lumbar Spine): what it covers and what it costs
What does a MRI of the Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) cost? Across 40 major U.S. metros, the typical insurer-negotiated price for a Lumbar MRI (CPT 72148) runs from about $194 in Detroit, MI to $3,151 in San Antonio, TX, read from hospitals' own price-transparency files. 23 of those metros have at least one hospital publishing a self-pay cash price. This page explains what the billing code covers, what the quoted price does and does not include, and what actually drives the spread between hospitals. These are price references from public data — not a quote, a bill, or medical or financial advice.
These figures are aggregated from hospitals' public price-transparency files — not a quote, a bill, an insurance benefit determination, or medical advice. Your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your insurance plan (deductible, copay, coinsurance, network), the exact service and any complications, and which hospital you use. Always confirm price and coverage with the hospital and your insurer before care.
What a Lumbar MRI price actually covers
A lumbar spine MRI images the lower back's vertebrae, discs, spinal canal and nerve roots. It is one of the most frequently ordered outpatient MRI studies in the United States, which is why so many hospitals publish a rate for it.
Code scope. 72148 = lumbar spine MRI without contrast. With contrast 72149; without/with 72158.
What is — and isn't — in the price
The published hospital price generally covers the scan and facility time. The radiologist's interpretation is often billed separately, and if the study is performed with sedation, that is an additional charge from the sedating provider.
Why Lumbar MRI prices differ so much between hospitals
Alongside the usual hospital-versus-imaging-centre gap, lumbar MRI prices vary with whether the order is limited to the lumbar region or extends to the full spine — a full-spine study is several codes, billed separately per region. Some hospitals also publish separate rates for open versus closed MRI.
What else usually lands on the bill
Often accompanied by lumbar X-rays. If the order extends to cervical or thoracic regions those are separate codes billed per region. An epidural steroid injection, if it follows, is an entirely separate procedure with its own facility and physician charges.
What to ask before you book
Confirm the order covers the lumbar region only if that is what was requested, and ask whether the facility's price assumes a closed scanner; open-MRI capacity is scarcer and sometimes priced differently.
Where the money actually moves
Lumbar MRI is high-volume and widely available, which makes it one of the easier studies to shop. Confirm the order is not tied to a particular facility, and ask whether a bundled self-pay figure including interpretation is offered.
What the Lumbar MRI numbers show nationally
A Lumbar MRI costs 16.3× as much in San Antonio as in Detroit
Across the 40 metros priced here, the typical negotiated rate runs from $194 in Detroit, MI to $3,151 in San Antonio, TX — the same billing codes, the same procedure, 1528% apart.
The individual hospitals reporting the lowest and highest Lumbar MRI prices
Lowest: CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF ALABAMA (Birmingham, AL) at $49; HARPER UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (Detroit, MI) at $80; BETHESDA HOSPITAL EAST (Miami, FL) at $120. Highest: RESEARCH MEDICAL CENTER (Kansas City, MO) at $7,488; SENTARA PRINCESS ANNE HOSPITAL (Virginia Beach, VA) at $5,370; GOOD SAMARITAN HOSPITAL (San Jose, CA) at $4,970. These are the figures each hospital published in its own file, not an assessment of the care.
23 of 40 metros have a hospital publishing a self-pay Lumbar MRI price
Cheapest published cash price: $309 (Phoenix). A cash price is what the hospital will accept from someone paying directly; it is not required and many never publish one.
Insurers pay about 83% below the list price for a Lumbar MRI
Across the 33 metros publishing both, the chargemaster list price is typically 83% above what insurers negotiate. The widest gap is in Houston: $17,299 list against $648 negotiated.
How many hospitals actually publish a Lumbar MRI price
249 hospital price-file entries across 40 metros feed this page. A hospital appears only where its own file lists a rate for CPT 72148 — where it does not, it is absent from the table rather than filled in with a guess.
Lumbar MRI price by metro
The typical insurer-negotiated price for a Lumbar MRI, by metro — lowest first. 23 of these 40 metros have at least one hospital publishing a self-pay cash price; 34 publish a chargemaster list price. Open a metro for its full hospital-by-hospital breakdown and who those hospitals are.
| Metro | Typical negotiated | Range | Cash | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit, MI | $194 | $80–$779 | $984 | 6 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $209 | $168–$262 | $583 | 4 |
| Memphis, TN | $237 | $221–$656 | — | 3 |
| Raleigh, NC | $280 | $280–$752 | $1,514 | 3 |
| Buffalo, NY | $296 | $189–$402 | — | 3 |
| Portland, OR | $304 | $284–$3,577 | — | 8 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $308 | $258–$1,411 | $309 | 10 |
| Tampa, FL | $334 | $220–$411 | — | 6 |
| Sacramento, CA | $339 | $267–$339 | $3,282 | 4 |
| San Francisco, CA | $339 | $339–$1,392 | $3,282 | 7 |
| Riverside, CA | $342 | $186–$1,682 | $2,382 | 6 |
| St. Louis, MO | $401 | $351–$1,340 | $1,423 | 7 |
| Nashville, TN | $480 | $397–$619 | — | 9 |
| Baltimore, MD | $484 | $325–$558 | — | 4 |
| New York, NY | $493 | $302–$570 | $510 | 7 |
| Orlando, FL | $503 | $395–$1,703 | — | 3 |
| Seattle, WA | $509 | $230–$2,718 | $808 | 8 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $525 | $525 | $1,136 | 3 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $568 | $270–$2,228 | $2,496 | 5 |
| Washington, DC | $601 | $293–$2,223 | $835 | 8 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $620 | $610–$710 | — | 3 |
| Houston, TX | $648 | $518–$1,590 | — | 6 |
| Kansas City, MO | $711 | $517–$7,488 | — | 7 |
| Atlanta, GA | $730 | $247–$4,562 | $1,711 | 9 |
| Denver, CO | $808 | $528–$1,349 | $2,627 | 10 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $816 | $247–$3,314 | $2,089 | 8 |
| Birmingham, AL | $945 | $49–$2,441 | — | 10 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $948 | $230–$2,887 | $2,143 | 15 |
| Boston, MA | $956 | $338–$1,115 | — | 3 |
| Hartford, CT | $962 | $289–$1,219 | — | 4 |
| Cleveland, OH | $976 | $224–$1,059 | $1,084 | 8 |
| Dallas, TX | $1,007 | $217–$1,859 | $2,028 | 10 |
| Austin, TX | $1,482 | $309–$1,753 | $1,144 | 9 |
| Miami, FL | $1,492 | $120–$2,097 | — | 4 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $1,567 | $1,553–$5,370 | — | 6 |
| San Diego, CA | $1,877 | $307–$3,065 | $3,112 | 6 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $2,455 | $254–$2,848 | $4,125 | 5 |
| Chicago, IL | $2,513 | $1,742–$2,829 | $1,700 | 3 |
| San Jose, CA | $2,612 | $339–$4,970 | — | 3 |
| San Antonio, TX | $3,151 | $220–$3,742 | — | 3 |
Source: hospitals' own machine-readable Standard Charges files, published under the U.S. Hospital Price Transparency rule (45 CFR §180.50). Most recent hospital file in this dataset: July 2026. Prices are references, not quotes or bills, and never medical or financial advice — where a hospital reports no price, nothing is shown rather than a guess.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Lumbar MRI cost?
- Across 40 U.S. metros the typical insurer-negotiated price is about $620, ranging from $194 in Detroit to $3,151 in San Antonio. Every figure is read from a named hospital's own price-transparency file for CPT 72148.
- Does the price include the doctor's fee?
- The published hospital price generally covers the scan and facility time. The radiologist's interpretation is often billed separately, and if the study is performed with sedation, that is an additional charge from the sedating provider.
- Why do Lumbar MRI prices differ so much between hospitals?
- Alongside the usual hospital-versus-imaging-centre gap, lumbar MRI prices vary with whether the order is limited to the lumbar region or extends to the full spine — a full-spine study is several codes, billed separately per region. Some hospitals also publish separate rates for open versus closed MRI.