CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, lower back (no contrast)

Facility: Veterans Memorial Hospital

Billing Code: 72148 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price low confidence

A fair price for this

$194

about 0.8× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $89–$1,452

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$65

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $129 under the fair price · 0.3× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $194 This hospital $65 Cash price $1,366 Hospital's list price $2,397

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other IA hospitals

Lowest price of the 9 IA hospitals we have prices for — a strong deal.

Cheapest $65 Priciest $171

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 IA 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 $194 (about 0.8× the $244 Medicare rate). Veterans Memorial Hospital charges insurers about $65, or about $1,366 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Waukon, IA.

What each insurance company pays

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

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

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Humana CignaKaiser 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	$1,659 - $3,279	681%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$272	112%
Aetnamajor	$65 - $2,577	27%
Humanamajor	$56 - $2,894	23%
Amerigroup	$65 - $1,659	27%
Medica	$1,549 - $1,659	635%
Molina	$65 - $1,968	27%
Quartz	$65 - $2,894	27%
+ 4 smaller / regional plans	$65 - $1,968

Excludes 1 rental-network / third-party entry (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 1,366), 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 Veterans Memorial 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 Veterans Memorial Hospital

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

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