CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, lower back (no contrast)

Facility: Catawba Valley Medical Center

Billing Code: 72148 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$623

about 2.6× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $326–$1,385

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$500

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $123 under the fair price · 2.0× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $623 This hospital $500 Cash price $2,297 Hospital's list price $3,828

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NC hospitals

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

Cheapest $184 Priciest $500

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 NC 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 $623 (about 2.6× the $244 Medicare rate). Catawba Valley Medical Center charges insurers about $500, or about $2,297 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Hickory, NC.

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	$332 - $3,497	136%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$238 - $1,891	98%
Aetnamajor	$2,331	956%
Cignamajor	$227 - $2,105	93%
Humanamajor	$232 - $3,062	95%
CareSource	$511	210%
Devoted Health	$238	98%
WellCare	$234	96%
+ 6 smaller / regional plans	$238 - $500

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 2,297), 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 Catawba Valley 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 Catawba Valley Medical Center

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

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