CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, lower back (no contrast)

Facility: Desert View Hospital

Billing Code: 72148 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$834

about 3.4× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $298–$1,553

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$291

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $543 under the fair price · 1.2× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $834 This hospital $291 Cash price $290 Hospital's list price $724

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NV hospitals

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

Cheapest $124 Priciest $291

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 NV hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

A fair price for a MRI, lower back (no contrast) is about $834 (about 3.4× the $244 Medicare rate). Desert View Hospital charges insurers about $291, or about $290 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Pahrump, NV.

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	$231 - $324	95%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$619	254%
Aetnamajor	$434 - $462	178%
Cignamajor	$366	150%
Humanamajor	$133 - $434	55%
Ambetter (Centene)	$203	83%
+ 7 smaller / regional plans	$116 - $543

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 290), 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 Desert View 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 Desert View Hospital

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

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