DC price data · 5 hospitals
MRI, lower back (no contrast) cost in DC
What a mri, lower back (no contrast) costs at DC hospitals — and the fair price to aim for.
Pillar 1 · The BaseRate™ CompositeHow 1.00× Fair BaseRate Works: Raw price averages unfairly penalize hospitals in high-wage cities or trauma centers treating sicker patients. We adjust for local CMS hospital wage levels and patient complexity first. A 1.00× score means right at the fair price average, 0.85× means 15% cheaper than fair market, and 1.30× means 30% above fair market.Good Deal · Below Fair Market
0.88×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price12% Below Fair Price
1.00× (center of the bar) is the U.S. fair price average after accounting for local hospital wages and patient complexity. Left of center (<1.00×) is below fair price; right of center (>1.00×) is above fair price.
Typical commercial prices here are 12% below the fair benchmark (0.88×) after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.
Pillar 2 · VeriRate™ Data TrustHow VeriRate™ (0–100) Works: Hospitals are legally required to publish machine-readable price files, but some bury fake $0.01 numbers or omit cash discounts. VeriRate audits each file across 5 checks (hover any badge below to see what it tests).86/100 · Verified
86/100Hover Any Check Below to See How Prices Were Audited
File Completeness90Provenance (File Completeness): Checks whether the hospital published a complete, up-to-date machine-readable price file with valid CPT and MS-DRG billing codes instead of leaving blanks.
Price Logic88Coherence (Price Logic): Checks whether the hospital’s numbers make basic sense — e.g., self-pay cash price is lower than gross list price, with no fake $0.01 or $999,999 placeholder numbers.
Peer Alignment86Concordance (Peer Alignment): Checks whether reported prices sit in a realistic range compared to Medicare and nearby hospitals rather than wild 100× unit errors.
Clean Billing83Regularity (Clean Billing): Checks whether rates are structured consistently across procedures without erratic statistical spikes or hidden unbundled facility fees.
Real Cash Discount84Cash Honesty (Real Cash Discount): Checks whether the hospital offers a genuine self-pay cash discount that beats or matches commercial insurance rates instead of billing full sticker price.
Pillar 3 · Clinical Quality & ER SpeedChecks whether higher hospital prices actually buy better clinical quality — combining CMS Star Ratings, hospital safety scores, and emergency room wait times.Regional Value Leader
CMS Star RatingNot RatedOfficial CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating (1 to 5 stars) summarizing mortality, safety of care, readmissions, and patient experience.
Safety ScoreNot ScoredComposite patient safety score (0–100) derived from CMS hospital-acquired infection rates (CLABSI, CAUTI, MRSA, C. diff), surgical complications, and HCAHPS surveys.
Typical ER WaitNo ER DataMedian minutes patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, as reported to CMS Timely and Effective Care.
Balances commercial hospital prices against CMS clinical safety, infection control, and patient experience.
Behavioral Pricing FingerprintLow Shoppable & Low Captive Rates
Uniform Value Leader · Low-Cost Across Departments
This hospital maintains low, disciplined commercial pricing across both routine shoppable procedures (1.1× Medicare, p50 0.98× Fair BaseRate) and emergency/ancillary services (1.0× Medicare, p75 1.03× Fair BaseRate). Both insured and self-pay patients benefit from below-benchmark rates across departments.
#1 of 6 in DC · 1st State Percentile#1,096 of 3,385 in U.S. · 32nd National Percentile
Advantage
Where They're Good (Patient & Payer Edge)
- Elective shoppable care is priced 3% below peer Fair BaseRate (0.97×)
- Self-pay cash beats commercial insurance on 56% of shoppable procedures (99/100 Cash Honesty)
- CMS clinical safety score (54/100 safety score) with 72% patient recommendation
- IRS 501(c)(3) charity care provides free care up to 200% FPL and discounted care up to 400% FPL (65.0% AGB cap)
Watchout
Where You Can Get Burned (Markup Traps)
- Outpatient surgery & OR suites carry a 1.4× markup over Medicare rates
- Commercial insurance median sits at 0.98× Fair BaseRate (1.1× Medicare), so insured patients should always compare the self-pay cash price before paying.
- Even at low-cost facilities (0.88× Fair BaseRate), out-of-network or unnegotiated chargemaster bills can exceed commercial medians — confirm in-network status or request a self-pay cash quote up front.
- Consolidated metro market (HHI 5,000) limits in-network hospital competition (Highly Concentrated Monopoly (>2,500))
Front-Door ShoppableElective / Imaging
1.1× Medicare
Pre-scheduled outpatient procedures where patients can comparison-shop.
Back-Door Captive & ER0.91× Divergence
1.0× Medicare
Emergency, inpatient DRG, lab, and specialty drug lines billed after admission.
Quantile Tail Spread+5% Upper Tail
Q25 0.87× · Q50 0.98× · Q75 1.03×
Detects median-gaming when upper-quartile codes spike above the p50 median.
Select any lens to inspect department markups, federal cost accounting, or insurer discounts.
Department & Integrity Multiples (vs. CMS Medicare Cost Anchor)
Green ≤1.3× · Teal 1.3–1.8× · Amber 1.8–2.5× · Rose >2.5×
Front-Door Shoppable CareFront-Door Shoppable
1.1× MedicareGood
Outpatient Surgery & ORBack-Door Captive
1.4× MedicareGood
Diagnostic Imaging (CT/MRI)Front-Door Shoppable
1.1× MedicareGood
Back-Door Captive ER VisitsBack-Door Captive
0.5× MedicareGood
Inpatient Lab & PathologyBack-Door Captive
2.4× MedicareFair
Specialty & Infusion Drugs (J-Codes)Back-Door Captive
0.9× MedicareGood
Self-Pay Cash Honesty & 501(r)Integrity & Outcomes
56% Cash Edge · 99/100Good
CMS Clinical Safety & Star ValueIntegrity & Outcomes
3 CMS · 54/100Elevated
The BaseRate · DC 5 hospitals
Fair price · the BaseRate
$516
what it should cost in DC
Typically charged
$296
median across DC hospitals
In general, DC hospitals charge below the fair price — a good state to get this done. how we calculate the BaseRate →
modeled estimate · not a bill or quote
Compared with the rest of the country, DC’s fair BaseRate ($516) is above the national fair price of $338.
Cheapest DC hospitals for a mri, lower back (no contrast)
Inline Bill X-Ray & 501(r) Calculator
501(c)(3) Nonprofit · Free Care ≤200% FPL · AGB Cap 36.3%
Audit a Bill or Quote at DC Hospital Benchmark (Zero PHI Required)
Fair BaseRate™ $516
Medicare Rate $299
Self-Pay Cash Request Quote
Insurer Median $296
Pre-filled with DC Hospital Benchmark’s charged/list benchmark
Screened against 2026 HHS Federal Poverty Guidelines
2026 FPL: $15,650 + $5,500 per additional person
Step 1 · 501(r) Charity Care Check
501(r) AGB Cap: $258 (274% FPL)
Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $258
At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (36.3% of gross = $258).
Step 2 · Cash vs. Insurance Arbitrage
Request Prompt-Pay Quote
Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible
Ask DC Hospital Benchmark's billing desk for their written 45 CFR § 180 discounted self-pay cash price and Good Faith Estimate under the No Surprises Act.
Step 3 · Fair BaseRate Target
+$194 Above Fair BaseRate
Negotiate Toward $516 Fair BaseRate ($299 Medicare)
Your bill ($710) is $194 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($516) and 2.4× the $299 Medicare rate.
1-Click Factual Dispute Summary: Copy a citation-backed benchmark memo (with CMS CCN, CPT code, Medicare reference, Fair BaseRate, and 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) calculations) to paste into patient-portal messages or billing appeals.