CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, lower back (no contrast)

Facility: Coastal Communities Hospital

Billing Code: 72148 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$332

about 1.4× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $293–$390

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$307

About the fair price

about $25 under the fair price · 1.3× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $332 This hospital $307 Cash price $4,690 Hospital's list price $4,690

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other CA hospitals

Highest price of the 9 CA hospitals we have prices for — worth calling around.

Cheapest $60 Priciest $307

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 $332 (about 1.4× the $244 Medicare rate). Coastal Communities Hospital charges insurers about $307, or about $4,690 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Santa Ana, CA.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

6 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna✓ Humana✓ Kaiser Permanente

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
UnitedHealthcaremajor	$305 - $336	125%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$305 - $1,164	125%
Aetnamajor	$367 - $917	151%
Cignamajor	$274 - $3,048	112%
Humanamajor	$305	125%
Kaiser Permanentemajor	$305 - $2,888	125%
Health Net	$305 - $4,690	125%
Presbyterian	$305 - $826	125%
Sentara	$307 - $1,156	126%
+ 48 smaller / regional plans	$223 - $4,690

Government programs also on file: Medicaid, Military & VA.

Excludes 12 rental-network / third-party entries (e.g. Multiplan, PHCS) — these are pricing networks, not insurers.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Tell the billing desk you want to be billed as self-pay — not through insurance — before your visit.
Ask for the cash / prompt-pay discount in writing, with the exact price (about 4,690), before you agree to anything.
Get it in writing that they won’t also bill your insurance, so the cash price is what you owe.
Check the CPT code on your bill matches exactly: 72148.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Coastal Communities Hospital is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 72148.
Confirm the doctor or provider is in-network too — not just the hospital building.
Check your Explanation of Benefits against the hospital’s final itemized bill.

Estimate your out-of-pocket cost

A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.

How you’d pay

Deductible left to meet ($)

Your coinsurance (%)

Enter your details and press estimate to compare.

Other Procedures at Coastal Communities Hospital

Compare: MRI, lower back (no contrast) at other CA hospitals

Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.