CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, lower back (no contrast)

Facility: PAM Rehabilitation Hospital of Fargo

Billing Code: 72148 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$211

about 0.9× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $165–$1,078

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$147

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $64 under the fair price · 0.6× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $211 This hospital $147 Cash price $4,567 Hospital's list price $4,567

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other ND hospitals

Lowest price of the 9 ND hospitals we have prices for — a strong deal.

Cheapest $147 Priciest $867

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 ND 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 $211 (about 0.9× the $244 Medicare rate). PAM Rehabilitation Hospital of Fargo charges insurers about $147, or about $4,567 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Fargo, ND.

What each insurance company pays

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

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

✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Cigna UnitedHealthcareAetnaHumanaKaiser 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
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$147	60%
Cignamajor	$2,740 - $3,197	1124%
Medica	$968 - $1,936	397%
Sanford Health Plan	$2,124	871%
UCare	$147	60%
+ 5 smaller / regional plans	$147 - $3,425

Excludes 4 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 4,567), 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 PAM Rehabilitation Hospital of Fargo 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 PAM Rehabilitation Hospital of Fargo

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

Essentia Health · Fargo $242
Trinity Hospitals · Minot $244
Sanford Medical Center Fargo · Fargo $249
Sanford Medical Center Bismarck · Bismarck $249
Altru Hospital · Grand Forks $270
CHI St Alexius Health · Bismarck $435
CHI St Alexius Health Williston · Williston $763
Sanford Hillsboro · Hillsboro $867

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