How much does MRI cervical spine, without contrast cost in California?
CPT 72141 — the fair price, every hospital's price, and the Medicare benchmark for California.
Estimates only. Educational estimates from public Medicare
benchmarks and hospital-published prices — not a guarantee, and not legal, medical, or financial advice.
72141 MRI cervical spine, without contrast
Ask to pay
$483
About 2.0× what Medicare pays — most hospitals accept a self-pay rate in this range.
Typical
$2,731
Medicare $242
Ask $483
$41 lowboxed = typical rangehigh $22,080
What Medicare paysⓘ
$242
Typical price near you
$2,731
Cash / self-pay price
$3,071
Prices near you — 91 facilities, lowest first
| Facility | Type | Price | vs Medicare | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adventist Health Bakersfield (Bakersfield) lowest ⚠ likely error | Hospital | $41cash | 0.2× | — |
| Adventist Health Glendale (Glendale) ⚠ likely error | Hospital | $46cash | 0.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Eisenhower Medical Center (Rancho Mirage) | Hospital | $152cash | 0.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Natividad Medical Center (Salinas) | Hospital | $232cash | 1.0× | — |
| Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (Torrance) | Hospital | $305negotiated | 1.3× | — |
| Centinela Hospital Medical Center (Inglewood) | Hospital | $305cash | 1.3× | — |
| Los Angeles General Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $307negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center (Santa Monica) | Hospital | $322negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $324negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach) | Hospital | $376negotiated | 1.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (Pomona) | Hospital | $500cash | 2.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Adventist Health Simi Valley (Simi Valley) | Hospital | $794cash | 3.3× | — |
| Dignity St. Joseph's Medical Center (Stockton) | Hospital | $886cash | 3.7× | — |
| Providence St. Mary Medical Center (Apple Valley) | Hospital | $946cash | 3.9× | — |
| Dignity Mercy General Hospital (Sacramento) | Hospital | $1,199cash | 5.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (La Jolla) | Hospital | $1,257cash | 5.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla) | Hospital | $1,257cash | 5.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas (Encinitas) | Hospital | $1,257cash | 5.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego (San Diego) | Hospital | $1,257cash | 5.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $1,257cash | 5.2× | — |
| Dignity Mercy San Juan Medical Center (Carmichael) | Hospital | $1,507cash | 6.2× | — |
| UCI Health – Fountain Valley (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $1,532cash | 6.3× | — |
| UCI Medical Center (Orange) | Hospital | $1,532cash | 6.3× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Placentia Linda (Placentia) | Hospital | $1,532cash | 6.3× | — |
| UCI Health – Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos) | Hospital | $1,532cash | 6.3× | — |
| Dignity Bakersfield Memorial Hospital (Bakersfield) | Hospital | $1,584cash | 6.6× | — |
| Adventist Health White Memorial (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $1,785cash | 7.4× | — |
| UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $1,994cash | 8.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Little Company of Mary Torrance (Torrance) | Hospital | $2,070cash | 8.6× | ★★★★★ |
| USC Arcadia Hospital (Arcadia) | Hospital | $2,093cash | 8.7× | — |
| Tri-City Medical Center (Oceanside) | Hospital | $2,169cash | 9.0× | — |
| Highland Hospital – Alameda Health System (Oakland) | Hospital | $2,222cash | 9.2× | — |
| Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center (Tarzana) | Hospital | $2,244cash | 9.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity St. Bernardine Medical Center (San Bernardino) | Hospital | $2,334cash | 9.7× | — |
| UC Davis Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $2,409cash | 10.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Northridge Hospital Medical Center (Northridge) | Hospital | $2,425cash | 10.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente San Diego Zion Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $2,444cash | 10.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center (Fontana) | Hospital | $2,444cash | 10.1× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $2,444cash | 10.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Mission Hospital (Mission Viejo) | Hospital | $2,493cash | 10.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity St. Mary Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $2,513cash | 10.4× | — |
| Dignity Dominican Hospital (Santa Cruz) | Hospital | $2,648cash | 11.0× | — |
| John Muir Health Concord Medical Center (Concord) | Hospital | $2,657cash | 11.0× | — |
| John Muir Health Walnut Creek Medical Center (Walnut Creek) | Hospital | $2,657cash | 11.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity California Hospital Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $2,724cash | 11.3× | — |
| UC San Diego Health - Hillcrest & Jacobs Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $2,739cash | 11.3× | — |
| UCI Health – Lakewood (Lakewood) | Hospital | $2,998cash | 12.4× | — |
| Dignity Glendale Memorial Hospital (Glendale) | Hospital | $3,056cash | 12.6× | — |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank) | Hospital | $3,085cash | 12.8× | — |
| Dignity St. John's Regional Medical Center (Oxnard) | Hospital | $3,175cash | 13.1× | — |
| Dignity Mercy Medical Center Redding (Redding) | Hospital | $3,353cash | 13.9× | — |
| Providence St. Joseph Hospital (Orange) | Hospital | $3,361cash | 13.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Holy Cross Medical Center (Mission Hills) | Hospital | $3,473cash | 14.4× | — |
| Dignity Sequoia Hospital (Redwood City) | Hospital | $3,532cash | 14.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley (Pleasanton) | Hospital | $3,540cash | 14.6× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $3,735cash | 15.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $3,735cash | 15.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $3,735cash | 15.5× | — |
| Kaweah Health Medical Center (Visalia) | Hospital | $3,945cash | 16.3× | — |
| Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center (Napa) | Hospital | $3,949cash | 16.3× | — |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $4,150cash | 17.2× | — |
| Sharp Grossmont Hospital (La Mesa) | Hospital | $4,150cash | 17.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $4,150cash | 17.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital (Coronado) | Hospital | $4,150cash | 17.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Rady Children's Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $4,224cash | 17.5× | — |
| Clovis Community Medical Center (Clovis) | Hospital | $4,433cash | 18.3× | — |
| Community Regional Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $4,433cash | 18.3× | — |
| Stanford Health Care (Stanford) | Hospital | $4,513cash | 18.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center (Loma Linda) | Hospital | $4,624cash | 19.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Desert Regional Medical Center (Palm Springs) | Hospital | $4,648cash | 19.2× | — |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $5,143cash | 21.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter CPMC Van Ness Campus (San Francisco) | Hospital | $5,265cash | 21.8× | — |
| Sutter Roseville Medical Center (Roseville) | Hospital | $5,265cash | 21.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Eden Medical Center (Castro Valley) | Hospital | $5,265cash | 21.8× | — |
| Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $5,265cash | 21.8× | — |
| Sutter Medical Center Sacramento (Sacramento) | Hospital | $5,265cash | 21.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Memorial Medical Center (Modesto) | Hospital | $5,265cash | 21.8× | — |
| Sutter Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame) | Hospital | $5,265cash | 21.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (Oakland) | Hospital | $5,265cash | 21.8× | — |
| Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $5,336cash | 22.1× | — |
| JFK Memorial Hospital (Indio) | Hospital | $5,621cash | 23.3× | — |
| Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford (Palo Alto) | Hospital | $6,147cash | 25.4× | — |
| Keck Hospital of USC (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $6,697cash | 27.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence St. Jude Medical Center (Fullerton) | Hospital | $6,849cash | 28.3× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $6,864cash | 28.4× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center (Laguna Hills) | Hospital | $6,864cash | 28.4× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $6,864cash | 28.4× | — |
| Los Robles Health System (Thousand Oaks) | Hospital | $7,347cash | 30.4× | — |
| Riverside University Health System Medical Center (Moreno Valley) gross charge | Hospital | $10,776cash | 44.6× | — |
| Riverside Community Hospital (Riverside) gross charge | Hospital | $13,281cash | 54.9× | — |
| Good Samaritan Hospital (San Jose) gross charge | Hospital | $22,080cash | 91.3× | — |
Prices from each hospital's public machine-readable file; imaging & surgery-center prices are published self-pay rates (often the cheapest option). vs Medicare is how many times the Medicare rate each facility charges. 5 unusually low/high prices excluded from the typical price as likely data errors.
💬 What to say — negotiation scripts
- For 72141 (MRI cervical 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 72141 is $3,070.57, and negotiated rates at nearby facilities run $1,532.00–$4,624.20. 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.
See MRI cervical spine, without contrast prices in another area
What should 72141 cost in California?
For MRI cervical spine, without contrast (CPT 72141) in California, a fair self-pay price is around $2,731, with hospitals ranging from $1,532 to $4,624 across 91 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 cervical spine, without contrast cost in California?
A fair self-pay price for MRI cervical spine, without contrast (CPT 72141) in California is around $2,731, with hospital prices ranging from $1,532 to $4,624 across 91 facilities. These are estimates from hospital-published prices, not a guarantee.
What is the Medicare rate for CPT 72141?
Medicare pays about $242 for MRI cervical spine, without contrast (CPT 72141). 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 cervical 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 California
Screening mammogram, bilateralDiagnostic mammogram, unilateralDiagnostic mammogram, bilateralDEXA bone density scanColonoscopy, diagnosticScreening colonoscopy (average risk)Chest X-ray, 2 viewsChest X-ray, 1 view
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.