How much does MRI lumbar spine, without contrast cost in San Francisco, CA?
CPT 72148 — the fair price, every hospital's price, and the Medicare benchmark for San Francisco, CA.
| Facility | Type | Price | vs Medicare | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natividad Medical Center (Salinas) lowest | Hospital | $232cash | 1.0× | — |
| Highland Hospital – Alameda Health System (Oakland) | Hospital | $2,215cash | 9.2× | — |
| UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $2,218cash | 9.2× | ★★★★★ |
| John Muir Health Walnut Creek Medical Center (Walnut Creek) | Hospital | $2,320cash | 9.6× | ★★★★★ |
| John Muir Health Concord Medical Center (Concord) | Hospital | $2,320cash | 9.6× | — |
| Dignity Dominican Hospital (Santa Cruz) | Hospital | $2,506cash | 10.4× | — |
| Dignity Sequoia Hospital (Redwood City) | Hospital | $3,077cash | 12.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $3,282cash | 13.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley (Pleasanton) | Hospital | $4,408cash | 18.2× | — |
| Stanford Health Care (Stanford) | Hospital | $4,408cash | 18.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $4,765cash | 19.7× | — |
| Sutter Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame) | Hospital | $5,217cash | 21.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter CPMC Van Ness Campus (San Francisco) | Hospital | $5,217cash | 21.6× | — |
| Sutter Eden Medical Center (Castro Valley) | Hospital | $5,217cash | 21.6× | — |
| Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $5,217cash | 21.6× | — |
| Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (Oakland) | Hospital | $5,217cash | 21.6× | — |
| Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford (Palo Alto) | Hospital | $6,147cash | 25.4× | — |
| Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center (Napa) | Hospital | $9,042cash | 37.4× | — |
| Good Samaritan Hospital (San Jose) gross charge | Hospital | $22,183cash | 91.8× | — |
- For 72148 (MRI lumbar spine, without contrast), Medicare's benchmark rate is $241.72. A fair self-pay target for this line is $483.44. If I was charged more than that, please reduce it toward this benchmark.
- Your own published cash / self-pay price for 72148 is $4,407.60, and negotiated rates at nearby facilities run $2,319.97–$5,217.00. Please apply a rate in that range to my bill rather than the gross charge.
- Please send a fully itemized bill listing every CPT/HCPCS/DRG code and its individual charge, so I can review each line against published rates.
- Separately, what is your financial assistance / charity care policy, and am I eligible? Please send me the application and the income thresholds.
What should 72148 cost in San Francisco, CA?
For MRI lumbar spine, without contrast (CPT 72148) in San Francisco, CA, a fair self-pay price is around $4,408, with hospitals ranging from $2,320 to $5,217 across 19 facilities. Medicare's benchmark rate is $242, the floor to negotiate toward. The card above lists each hospital's price, cheapest first, with CMS quality stars.
Frequently asked questions
How much does MRI lumbar spine, without contrast cost in San Francisco, CA?
A fair self-pay price for MRI lumbar spine, without contrast (CPT 72148) in San Francisco, CA is around $4,408, with hospital prices ranging from $2,320 to $5,217 across 19 facilities. These are estimates from hospital-published prices, not a guarantee.
What is the Medicare rate for CPT 72148?
Medicare pays about $242 for MRI lumbar spine, without contrast (CPT 72148). That's the negotiation floor — a fair cash-pay target is roughly 1.5–2× it, well below typical gross charges.
Can I negotiate the price of MRI lumbar spine, without contrast?
Yes. Under the federal Hospital Price Transparency rule hospitals must publish these rates, so you can ask to pay the cash or negotiated rate instead of the gross charge. Paste your bill on the home page for a ready-to-send appeal letter and the exact numbers to cite.
Got a bill for this?
If you were charged more than the fair price, you can usually negotiate it down. Paste your itemized bill to get a personalized appeal letter, the exact numbers to cite, an AI negotiation coach, and a charity-care eligibility check — free.
Compare other procedures in San Francisco, CA
Prices last refreshed September 2026 from each hospital's official CMS machine-readable file. Medicare rate: CY2025 OPPS/PFS/CLFS. Estimates only — not a guarantee.