CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, lower back (no contrast)

Facility: University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics

Billing Code: 72148 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$215

about 0.9× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $191–$331

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$199

About the fair price

about $16 under the fair price · 0.8× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $215 This hospital $199 Cash price $2,183 Hospital's list price $3,463

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other IL hospitals

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

Cheapest $71 Priciest $199

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 IL 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 $215 (about 0.9× the $244 Medicare rate). University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics charges insurers about $199, or about $2,183 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Chicago, IL.

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✓ Cigna HumanaKaiser 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	$71 - $297	29%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$88 - $360	36%
Aetnamajor	$71 - $386	29%
Cignamajor	$114 - $1,109	47%
Health Net	$101 - $590	41%
HealthLink	$111 - $1,406	46%
Meridian	$126 - $360	52%
Molina	$57 - $360	23%
WellCare	$74 - $204	30%
+ 28 smaller / regional plans	$71 - $1,684

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 2,183), 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 University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics 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 University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics

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

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