CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, lower back (no contrast)

Facility: Brigham and Women's Hospital

Billing Code: 72148 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$339

about 1.4× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $272–$658

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$281

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $58 under the fair price · 1.2× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $339 This hospital $281 Cash price $3,281 Hospital's list price $4,375

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other MA hospitals

One of the lower prices — 4 of 8 other MA hospitals charge more for the same procedure.

Cheapest $231 Priciest $287

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 MA 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 $339 (about 1.4× the $244 Medicare rate). Brigham and Women's Hospital charges insurers about $281, or about $3,281 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Boston, MA.

What each insurance company pays

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

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

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Humana AetnaCignaKaiser 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	$231 - $1,373	95%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$287 - $2,286	118%
Humanamajor	$287	118%
Harvard Pilgrim	$231	95%
Molina	$281	115%
Tufts Health Plan	$273 - $281	112%
+ 3 smaller / regional plans	$287 - $2,844

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

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 3,281), 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 Brigham and Women's 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 Brigham and Women's Hospital

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

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