Pittsburgh → MRI of the lower back
MRI of the lower back in Pittsburgh
Across 10 of 17 hospitals, the self-pay price runs from $513 to $6,214 — 12.1× the price for the same billing code.
| Hospital | Self-pay price | List price | Insurers pay | Publishes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Hospital ahn.org · Jefferson Hills | $37–$2,232 varies | $2,756 | $58–$1,007 | C |
| Forbes Hospital ahn.org · Monroeville | $43–$2,037 varies | $2,611 | $58–$2,818 | C |
| Allegheny Valley Hospital ahn.org · Natrona | $45–$2,010 varies | $2,611 | $58–$735 | C |
| Allegheny General Hospital ahn.org · Pittsburgh | $47–$2,205 varies | $2,901 | $58–$811 | C |
| Ahn Wexford Hospital ahn.org · Wexford | $51–$2,039 varies | $2,756 | $72–$773 | C |
| West Penn Hospital ahn.org · Pittsburgh | $53–$2,118 varies | $2,901 | $72–$816 | C |
| St Clair Hospital stclair.org · Pittsburgh | $221–$748 varies | $890 | $207–$3,014 | C |
| Heritage Valley Sewickley heritagevalley.org · Sewickley | $513 | $1,900 | $81–$1,552 | B |
| Upmc Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh chp.edu · Pittsburgh | $3,092 | $5,153 | $218–$4,638 | B |
| Children's Home of Pittsburgh chp.edu · Pittsburgh | $3,092 | $5,153 | $218–$4,638 | B |
| Upmc St Margaret upmc.com · Pittsburgh | $3,683 | $6,138 | $199–$5,217 | B |
| Upmc Passavant upmc.com · Pittsburgh | $3,802 | $6,336 | $214–$5,892 | B |
| Upmc Mckeesport Hospital upmc.com · Mc Keesport | $3,835 | $6,391 | $214–$5,432 | B |
| Upmc East upmc.com · Monroeville | $3,941 | $6,568 | $231–$5,254 | B |
| Upmc Mercy upmc.com · Pittsburgh | $4,125 | $6,875 | $192–$6,188 | B |
| Magee Womens Hospital of Upmc Health System upmc.com · Pittsburgh | $4,272 | $7,120 | $216–$6,550 | B |
| Upmc Presbyterian Shadyside upmc.com · Pittsburgh | $6,214 | $10,357 | $225–$8,803 | B |
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.