CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, lower back (no contrast)

Facility: The Children's Mercy Hospital

Billing Code: 72148 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$179

about 0.7× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $130–$531

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$130

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $49 under the fair price · 0.5× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $179 This hospital $130 Cash price $771 Hospital's list price $1,606

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other MO hospitals

One of the lower prices — 7 of 8 other MO hospitals charge more for the same procedure.

Cheapest $106 Priciest $215

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 MO 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 $179 (about 0.7× the $244 Medicare rate). The Children's Mercy Hospital charges insurers about $130, or about $771 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Kansas City, MO.

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	$61 - $2,018	25%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$130 - $2,222	53%
Aetnamajor	$133 - $2,222	55%
Cignamajor	$67 - $2,087	27%
Humanamajor	$136 - $1,997	56%
Health Net	$155 - $2,222	64%
HealthLink	$90 - $2,643	37%
Medica	$122 - $1,751	50%
+ 11 smaller / regional plans	$65 - $2,553

Government programs also on file: Medicaid.

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 771), 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 The Children's Mercy 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 The Children's Mercy Hospital

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

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