How much does MRI lumbar spine, without contrast cost in California?
CPT 72148 — 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.
72148 MRI lumbar spine, without contrast
Ask to pay
$483
About 2.0× what Medicare pays — most hospitals accept a self-pay rate in this range.
Typical
$2,541
Medicare $242
Ask $483
$152 lowboxed = typical rangehigh $22,183
What Medicare paysⓘ
$242
Typical price near you
$2,541
Cash / self-pay price
$3,095
Prices near you — 91 facilities, lowest first
| Facility | Type | Price | vs Medicare | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eisenhower Medical Center (Rancho Mirage) lowest | 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 Bakersfield (Bakersfield) | Hospital | $734cash | 3.0× | — |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas (Encinitas) | Hospital | $753cash | 3.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego (San Diego) | Hospital | $753cash | 3.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (La Jolla) | Hospital | $753cash | 3.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla) | Hospital | $753cash | 3.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $753cash | 3.1× | — |
| Dignity St. Joseph's Medical Center (Stockton) | Hospital | $885cash | 3.7× | — |
| Adventist Health Simi Valley (Simi Valley) | Hospital | $886cash | 3.7× | — |
| Providence St. Mary Medical Center (Apple Valley) | Hospital | $996cash | 4.1× | — |
| Dignity Mercy General Hospital (Sacramento) | Hospital | $1,135cash | 4.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Adventist Health Glendale (Glendale) | Hospital | $1,295cash | 5.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Mercy San Juan Medical Center (Carmichael) | Hospital | $1,426cash | 5.9× | — |
| UCI Health – Placentia Linda (Placentia) | Hospital | $1,532cash | 6.3× | — |
| UCI Medical Center (Orange) | Hospital | $1,532cash | 6.3× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Fountain Valley (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $1,532cash | 6.3× | — |
| UCI Health – Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos) | Hospital | $1,532cash | 6.3× | — |
| Dignity St. Mary Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $1,653cash | 6.8× | — |
| Dignity Bakersfield Memorial Hospital (Bakersfield) | Hospital | $1,684cash | 7.0× | — |
| Adventist Health White Memorial (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $1,817cash | 7.5× | — |
| UC Davis Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $2,139cash | 8.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity St. Bernardine Medical Center (San Bernardino) | Hospital | $2,166cash | 9.0× | — |
| Tri-City Medical Center (Oceanside) | Hospital | $2,169cash | 9.0× | — |
| Providence Little Company of Mary Torrance (Torrance) | Hospital | $2,179cash | 9.0× | ★★★★★ |
| USC Arcadia Hospital (Arcadia) | Hospital | $2,214cash | 9.2× | — |
| Highland Hospital – Alameda Health System (Oakland) | Hospital | $2,215cash | 9.2× | — |
| UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $2,218cash | 9.2× | ★★★★★ |
| UC San Diego Health - Hillcrest & Jacobs Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $2,232cash | 9.2× | — |
| Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center (Tarzana) | Hospital | $2,238cash | 9.3× | ★★★★★ |
| 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 Northridge Hospital Medical Center (Northridge) | Hospital | $2,426cash | 10.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $2,496cash | 10.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center (Fontana) | Hospital | $2,496cash | 10.3× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Diego Zion Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $2,496cash | 10.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Dominican Hospital (Santa Cruz) | Hospital | $2,506cash | 10.4× | — |
| Dignity Glendale Memorial Hospital (Glendale) | Hospital | $2,576cash | 10.7× | — |
| Providence Mission Hospital (Mission Viejo) | Hospital | $2,634cash | 10.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity California Hospital Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $2,797cash | 11.6× | — |
| Dignity Sequoia Hospital (Redwood City) | Hospital | $3,077cash | 12.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Grossmont Hospital (La Mesa) | Hospital | $3,112cash | 12.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $3,112cash | 12.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $3,112cash | 12.9× | — |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital (Coronado) | Hospital | $3,112cash | 12.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $3,282cash | 13.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $3,282cash | 13.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $3,282cash | 13.6× | — |
| Dignity St. John's Regional Medical Center (Oxnard) | Hospital | $3,285cash | 13.6× | — |
| Providence Holy Cross Medical Center (Mission Hills) | Hospital | $3,473cash | 14.4× | — |
| Dignity Mercy Medical Center Redding (Redding) | Hospital | $3,488cash | 14.4× | — |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank) | Hospital | $3,898cash | 16.1× | — |
| Clovis Community Medical Center (Clovis) | Hospital | $3,945cash | 16.3× | — |
| Community Regional Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $3,945cash | 16.3× | — |
| Kaweah Health Medical Center (Visalia) | Hospital | $4,119cash | 17.0× | — |
| Providence St. Joseph Hospital (Orange) | Hospital | $4,174cash | 17.3× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Lakewood (Lakewood) | Hospital | $4,289cash | 17.7× | — |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley (Pleasanton) | Hospital | $4,408cash | 18.2× | — |
| Stanford Health Care (Stanford) | Hospital | $4,408cash | 18.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center (Loma Linda) | Hospital | $4,753cash | 19.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $4,765cash | 19.7× | — |
| Rady Children's Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $5,064cash | 20.9× | — |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $5,143cash | 21.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Keck Hospital of USC (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $5,213cash | 21.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame) | Hospital | $5,217cash | 21.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Medical Center Sacramento (Sacramento) | 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 Roseville Medical Center (Roseville) | Hospital | $5,217cash | 21.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Memorial Medical Center (Modesto) | Hospital | $5,217cash | 21.6× | — |
| Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (Oakland) | Hospital | $5,217cash | 21.6× | — |
| Desert Regional Medical Center (Palm Springs) | Hospital | $5,498cash | 22.7× | — |
| Providence St. Jude Medical Center (Fullerton) | Hospital | $5,754cash | 23.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford (Palo Alto) | Hospital | $6,147cash | 25.4× | — |
| MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $7,633cash | 31.6× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $7,633cash | 31.6× | — |
| MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center (Laguna Hills) | Hospital | $7,633cash | 31.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Los Robles Health System (Thousand Oaks) | Hospital | $8,782cash | 36.3× | — |
| Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center (Napa) | Hospital | $9,042cash | 37.4× | — |
| Riverside University Health System Medical Center (Moreno Valley) | Hospital | $10,243cash | 42.4× | — |
| JFK Memorial Hospital (Indio) gross charge | Hospital | $10,898cash | 45.1× | — |
| Riverside Community Hospital (Riverside) gross charge | Hospital | $13,281cash | 54.9× | — |
| Good Samaritan Hospital (San Jose) gross charge | Hospital | $22,183cash | 91.8× | — |
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. 3 unusually low/high prices excluded from the typical price as likely data errors.
💬 What to say — negotiation scripts
- 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 $3,094.51, and negotiated rates at nearby facilities run $1,532.00–$5,064.00. 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.
See MRI lumbar spine, without contrast prices in another area
What should 72148 cost in California?
For MRI lumbar spine, without contrast (CPT 72148) in California, a fair self-pay price is around $2,541, with hospitals ranging from $1,532 to $5,064 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 lumbar spine, without contrast cost in California?
A fair self-pay price for MRI lumbar spine, without contrast (CPT 72148) in California is around $2,541, with hospital prices ranging from $1,532 to $5,064 across 91 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.
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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.