Houston → MRI of the lower back
MRI of the lower back in Houston
Across 27 of 27 hospitals, the self-pay price runs from $808 to $21,150 — 26.2× the price for the same billing code.
| Hospital | Self-pay price | List price | Insurers pay | Publishes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legent North Houston Surgical Hospital legenthealth.com · Tomball | $808 | $1,615 | $171–$542 | C |
| Houston Methodist West Hospital houstonmethodist.org · Houston | $1,056 | $2,112 | $240–$1,692 | B |
| Houston Methodist Hospital houstonmethodist.org · Houston | $1,056 | $2,112 | $240–$1,692 | B |
| Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital houstonmethodist.org · Baytown | $1,056 | $2,112 | $240–$1,692 | B |
| Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital houstonmethodist.org · Nassau Bay | $1,056 | $2,112 | $240–$1,692 | B |
| Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital houstonmethodist.org · Houston | $1,056 | $2,112 | $240–$1,692 | B |
| Houston Methodist Cypress Hospital houstonmethodist.org · Cypress | $1,056 | $2,112 | $240–$1,692 | B |
| Memorial Hermann Memorial City Hospital memorialhermann.org · Houston | $1,515 | $4,735 | $240–$455 | C |
| Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital memorialhermann.org · Humble | $1,515 | $4,735 | $240–$455 | C |
| Memorial Hermann - Texas Medical Center memorialhermann.org · Houston | $1,930 | $6,031 | $240–$455 | C |
| Memorial Hermann Hospital System memorialhermann.org · Houston | $1,930 | $6,031 | $240–$455 | C |
| St Luke's Patients Medical Center chisaintjosephhealth.org · Pasadena | $2,887 | $8,250 | $187–$6,187 | C |
| St Luke's Hospital at the Vintage chisaintjosephhealth.org · Houston | $3,529 | $10,082 | $174–$10,082 | B |
| Baylor St Lukes Medical Center chisaintjosephhealth.org · Houston | $3,529 | $10,082 | $174–$10,082 | B |
| Elite Hospital Kingwood kingwood247er.com · Kingwood | $4,322 | $8,645 | $406–$542 | C |
| Texas Childrens Hospital shrinerschildrens.org · Houston | $5,144 | $5,144 | $162–$604 | C |
| East Houston Medical Center advanceddallas.com · Houston | $6,158 | $6,158 | $97–$900 | C |
| St Joseph Medical Center sjmctx.org · Houston | $7,832 | $7,832 | $189–$7,832 | B |
| Womans Hospital of Texas,the womanshospital.com · Houston | $10,080 | $10,080 | $193–$8,568 | C |
| Texas Orthopedic Hospital texasorthopedic.com · Houston | $13,438 | $13,438 | $193–$12,094 | C |
| Hca Houston Healthcare Clear Lake hcahoustonhealthcare.com · Webster | $14,794 | $14,794 | $193–$13,315 | C |
| Hca Houston Healthcare Medical Center hcahoustonhealthcare.com · Houston | $14,794 | $14,794 | $193–$13,315 | C |
| Hca Houston Healthcare Southeast hcahoustonhealthcare.com · Pasadena | $17,959 | $17,959 | $193–$16,163 | C |
| Hca Houston Healthcare Tomball hcahoustonhealthcare.com · Tomball | $19,070 | $19,070 | $197–$8,582 | D |
| Hca Houston Healthcare Kingwood hcahoustonhealthcare.com · Kingwood | $19,475 | $19,475 | $193–$17,528 | C |
| Hca Houston Healthcare West hcahoustonhealthcare.com · Houston | $19,795 | $19,795 | $193–$17,816 | C |
| Hca Houston Healthcare Northwest hcahoustonhealthcare.com · Houston | $21,150 | $21,150 | $197–$11,273 | C |
What these three numbers mean
Self-pay price is what the hospital says it charges someone paying directly. It is the number to ask for by name. List price is the undiscounted charge almost nobody pays. Insurers pay is the range of procedure-specific negotiated rates in the file — useful mainly to see whether the self-pay price is above or below what insurers get.
Some hospitals attach one flat rate to nearly their whole price list. Those are excluded here, because a number identical for a colonoscopy and a blood test says nothing about either. More on that →
Billing code CPT 72148 —
MRI lumbar spine without contrast. Every price on this page is read from the hospital's
own published file; open a hospital to see which file and when it was read.