Lower back MRI cost in Miami
MRI lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast (CPT 72148): the cash price and what insurers pay at 13 hospitals in the Miami area, from each hospital’s own price file.
- Prices from each hospital’s official price file
- Checked October 30, 2026
- Outpatient facility prices
- The most expensive hospital charges 15× the cheapest for the same code, CPT 72148. Children’s hospitals, and hospitals whose cash price is just their list price, are left out of these figures.
- At 4 of 9 hospitals that publish both, the cash price is lower than the hospital’s median employer-plan rate, which is what a plan member pays in full before meeting the deductible. Cash or insurance?
Outpatient facility charge only. These are the hospital’s own published prices for the facility part of the visit. The doctor’s or radiologist’s fee is billed separately and isn’t included, and your final bill can differ (extra tests, contrast, supplies). Not medical or insurance advice.
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers paylowest–highest | Publishedprice file |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coral Gables HospitalCoral Gables | $245 | $5,118 | $172–3,838median $26121 insurers | Aug 31, 2026 |
| Hialeah HospitalHialeah | $245 | $7,024 | $172–5,268median $26022 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| North Shore Medical CenterMiami | $245 | $11,129 | $172–11,129median $27721 insurers | Sep 16, 2026 |
| Palmetto General HospitalHialeah | $245 | $10,360 | $172–10,360median $27422 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| Baptist HospitalMiami | $3,775 | $5,808 | $76–5,808median $2,42215 insurers | Mar 30, 2026 |
| Doctors HospitalCoral Gables | $3,775 | $5,808 | $74–5,808median $2,41615 insurers | Mar 30, 2026 |
| Homestead HospitalHomestead | $3,775 | $5,808 | $74–5,808median $2,59015 insurers | Mar 30, 2026 |
| South Miami HospitalMiami | $3,775 | $5,808 | $74–5,808median $2,41615 insurers | Mar 30, 2026 |
| West Kendall Baptist HospitalMiami | $3,775 | $5,808 | $74–5,808median $2,40715 insurers | Mar 30, 2026 |
| Mount Sinai Medical Center of FloridaMiami Beach | $5,314same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $5,314 | $139–5,314median $62318 insurers | Mar 13, 2026 |
| HCA Florida Aventura HospitalAventura | $7,279same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $7,279 | $391–6,187median $1,9659 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| HCA Florida Kendall HospitalMiami | $15,466same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $15,466 | $391–13,146median $2,4699 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| Nicklaus Children's HospitalMiami · children’s hospital | not published | – | $1,309–1,453median $1,3811 insurer | Apr 1, 2026 |
Cash price = the hospital’s published “discounted cash price” for self-pay patients. List price = its gross charge. Insurers pay = the rates negotiated with each insurer plan in the same file (employer, marketplace and Medicare Advantage plans). Where a hospital has several lines for the code, the range is shown. Each row shows the date the hospital published its price file. 5 hospitals in the area aren’t listed yet (no file we could read); see data status.
Cash or your insurance plan?Your plan pays a different rate at each hospital. See your plan’s own rate at every hospital nearby, next to the cash price, and what you would pay after your deductible. See an example report.
See what your plan paysWhat the price covers
The scan and the facility. The radiologist’s reading is usually billed separately by a physician group.
Before you book
- Call the hospital’s scheduling or price-estimate line and quote the code: CPT 72148, and confirm the order is “without contrast”.
- If you pay cash, ask for the self-pay price in writing (a Good Faith Estimate). Uninsured and self-pay patients have a right to one under the No Surprises Act.
- If you use insurance, check the hospital is in network for your exact plan; your share depends on your deductible and coinsurance. Cash or insurance?
Questions
How much does a lower back MRI cost in Miami without insurance?
At the 9 Miami hospitals (not counting children’s hospitals) that publish a cash price, the outpatient facility charge for a lower back MRI (CPT 72148) runs from $245 at Coral Gables Hospital to $3,775 at West Kendall Baptist Hospital. The doctor’s or radiologist’s fee is extra.
Why do prices differ so much between hospitals?
Each hospital sets its own list price and its own cash discount, and negotiates a different rate with each insurer plan. The same CPT code can cost several times more at one hospital than at another a few miles away.
Is the cash price the final price?
No. It is the hospital’s published discounted cash price for the facility part of the visit. Ask the hospital to confirm it before you book, and ask whether the reading physician bills separately.
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