MRI, lower back (no contrast)
Facility: Medstar Washington Hospital Center
Billing Code: 72148 (CPT)
One of the lower prices — 1 of 3 other DC hospitals charge more for the same procedure.
Black dot = this hospital, among the 4 DC 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 $555 (about 2.3× the $244 Medicare rate). Medstar Washington Hospital Center charges insurers about $296, or about $2,397 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Washington, DC.
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
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 | $141 - $1,336 | 58% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor | $141 - $2,445 | 58% |
| Aetnamajor | $145 - $1,451 | 59% |
| Cignamajor | $1,428 | 586% |
| Humanamajor | $148 - $296 | 61% |
| Kaiser Permanentemajor | $148 - $1,844 | 61% |
| Amerigroup | $259 - $518 | 106% |
| AmeriHealth | $259 - $518 | 106% |
| + 3 smaller / regional plans | $148 - $1,096 |
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 Medstar Washington Hospital Center
Compare: MRI, lower back (no contrast) at other DC hospitals
- Medstar Health Physical Therapy · Washington $250
- Medstar Georgetown University Hospital · Washington $296
- George Washington Univ Hospital · Washington $2,394
Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.