CMS Price Transparency Data

MRI, lower back (no contrast)

Facility: Univ. of Vermont - Fletcher Allen Health Care

Billing Code: 72148 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$214

about 0.9× the $244 Medicare rate · typically $213–$243

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$214

About the fair price

0.9× Medicare

Medicare pays $244 Fair price $214 This hospital $214 Cash price $5,367 Hospital's list price $5,367

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other VT hospitals

On the higher side — 5 of 7 other VT hospitals charge less.

Cheapest $82 Priciest $2,250

Black dot = this hospital, among the 8 VT 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 $214 (about 0.9× the $244 Medicare rate). Univ. of Vermont - Fletcher Allen Health Care charges insurers about $214, or about $5,367 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Burlington, VT.

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 - $5,283	19%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$33 - $5,197	14%
Aetnamajor	$66 - $4,562	27%
Cignamajor	$296 - $4,830	121%
Humanamajor	$66 - $1,503	27%
Fidelis Care	$76 - $268	31%
Harvard Pilgrim	$254 - $4,294	104%
MagnaCare	$254 - $4,294	104%
MVP Health Care	$68 - $4,591	28%
+ 4 smaller / regional plans	$66 - $4,616

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 5,367), 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 Univ. of Vermont - Fletcher Allen Health Care 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 Univ. of Vermont - Fletcher Allen Health Care

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

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