CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, lower back (no contrast)

Facility: North Oaks Medical Center

Billing Code: 72148 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$276

about 1.1× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $239–$422

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$298

About the fair price

about $22 over the fair price · 1.2× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $276 This hospital $298 Cash price $519 Hospital's list price $4,149

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other LA hospitals

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

Cheapest $119 Priciest $298

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 LA hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

A fair price for a MRI, lower back (no contrast) is about $276 (about 1.1× the $244 Medicare rate). North Oaks Medical Center charges insurers about $298, or about $519 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Hammond, LA.

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✓ Humana Kaiser 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	$221 - $1,992	91%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$511 - $519	210%
Aetnamajor	$221 - $3,527	91%
Cignamajor	$3,278	1345%
Humanamajor	$221 - $3,112	91%
Health Net	$2,697	1106%
WellCare	$221	91%
+ 8 smaller / regional plans	$221 - $298

Government programs also on file: Medicaid, Military & VA.

Excludes 2 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 519), 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 North Oaks Medical Center 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 North Oaks Medical Center

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

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