MRI, lower back (no contrast)
Facility: Kern Medical Center
Billing Code: 72148 (CPT)
On the higher side — 6 of 8 other CA hospitals charge less.
Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 CA hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.
⚠ The cash price looks unusually high next to the insurance price — it may be the full list price, not a real cash discount. Call to confirm the self-pay rate.
A fair price for a MRI, lower back (no contrast) is about $214 (about 0.9× the $244 Medicare rate). Kern Medical Center charges insurers about $176, or about $781 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Bakersfield, CA.
What each insurance company pays
Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.
2 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital
Crossed out = this hospital hasn’t published a negotiated price for that insurer for this procedure. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t accepted — ask your insurer.
| Insurance company | Price range | vs. Medicare |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor | $80 - $1,147 | 33% |
| Kaiser Permanentemajor | $69 - $1,215 | 28% |
| Health Net | $69 - $1,080 | 28% |
| + 3 smaller / regional plans | $62 - $608 |
Self-Pay How to get the cash price
Insurance Before you use insurance
Estimate your out-of-pocket cost
A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.
Other Procedures at Kern Medical Center
Compare: MRI, lower back (no contrast) at other CA hospitals
- Saint Agnes Medical Center · Fresno $60
- Mayers Memorial Hospital · Fall River Mills $71
- Adventist Health Vallejo · Vallejo $93
- Adventist Health Howard Memorial · Willits $104
- Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA · Los Angeles $133
- Adventist Health Mendocino Coast · Fort Bragg $135
- Banner Lassen Medical Center · Susanville $178
- Clovis Community Medical Center · Clovis $186
Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.