CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, lower back (no contrast)

Facility: Ochsner Medical Center-Kenner

Billing Code: 72148 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$397

about 1.6× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $255–$574

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$310

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $87 under the fair price · 1.3× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $397 This hospital $310 Cash price $504 Hospital's list price $1,800

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 $310

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 $397 (about 1.6× the $244 Medicare rate). Ochsner Medical Center-Kenner charges insurers about $310, or about $504 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Kenner, 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	$222 - $518	91%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$222 - $955	91%
Aetnamajor	$311 - $1,195	128%
Cignamajor	$1,433	588%
Humanamajor	$222 - $302	91%
AmeriHealth	$311	128%
Health Net	$1,530	628%
WellCare	$229	94%
+ 7 smaller / regional plans	$211 - $1,350

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

Excludes 8 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 504), 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 Ochsner Medical Center-Kenner 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 Ochsner Medical Center-Kenner

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

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