CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, lower back (no contrast)

Facility: HCA Healthone Presbyterian St Luke's

Billing Code: 72148 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$560

about 2.3× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $200–$692

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$487

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $73 under the fair price · 2.0× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $560 This hospital $487 Cash price $13,494 Hospital's list price $13,494

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other CO hospitals

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

Cheapest $70 Priciest $487

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 CO 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 $560 (about 2.3× the $244 Medicare rate). HCA Healthone Presbyterian St Luke's charges insurers about $487, or about $13,494 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Denver, CO.

What each insurance company pays

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

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

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

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	$391 - $6,072	160%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$169 - $9,986	69%
Aetnamajor	$1,552 - $4,048	637%
Cignamajor	$3,913 - $8,636	1605%
Kaiser Permanentemajor	$6,477	2657%
Bright Health	$4,048	1661%
HealthPartners	$9,446	3875%
+ 7 smaller / regional plans	$518 - $10,795

Excludes 3 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 13,494), 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 HCA Healthone Presbyterian St Luke's 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 HCA Healthone Presbyterian St Luke's

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

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