CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, lower back (no contrast)

Facility: Punxsutawney Area Hospital

Billing Code: 72148 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$238

about 1.0× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $199–$311

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$206

Below the fair price — a good deal

about $32 under the fair price · 0.8× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $238 This hospital $206 Cash price $366 Hospital's list price $999

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other PA hospitals

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

Cheapest $122 Priciest $206

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

A fair price for a MRI, lower back (no contrast) is about $238 (about 1.0× the $244 Medicare rate). Punxsutawney Area Hospital charges insurers about $206, or about $366 in cash — below the fair price — a good deal. Located in Punxsutawney, PA.

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	$46 - $796	19%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$40 - $3,725	16%
Aetnamajor	$66 - $704	27%
Cignamajor	$68 - $1,025	28%
Humanamajor	$245	101%
Ambetter (Centene)	$70 - $262	29%
AmeriHealth	$66 - $245	27%
Geisinger	$67 - $697	27%
UPMC Health Plan	$67 - $1,719	27%
+ 1 smaller / regional plan	$84 - $498

Government programs also on file: 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 366), 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 Punxsutawney Area 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 Punxsutawney Area Hospital

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

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