Lower back MRI cost in Tampa–St. Petersburg
MRI lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast (CPT 72148): the cash price and what insurers pay at 18 hospitals in the Tampa–St. Petersburg area, from each hospital’s own price file.
- Prices from each hospital’s official price file
- Checked October 30, 2026
- Outpatient facility prices
- At 0 of 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa General HospitalTampa | $1,293 | $3,694 | $249–498median $27212 insurers | Apr 1, 2026 |
| BayCare Hospital Wesley ChapelWesley Chapel | $2,511 | $4,185 | $157–4,185median $1,45312 insurers | Jan 1, 2026 |
| Mease Countryside HospitalSafety Harbor | $2,511 | $4,185 | $157–4,185median $1,45312 insurers | Jan 1, 2026 |
| Mease Dunedin HospitalDunedin | $2,511 | $4,185 | $157–4,185median $1,60912 insurers | Jan 1, 2026 |
| Morton Plant HospitalClearwater | $2,511 | $4,185 | $157–4,185median $1,60912 insurers | Jan 1, 2026 |
| Morton Plant North Bay HospitalNew Port Richey | $2,511 | $4,185 | $157–4,185median $1,60912 insurers | Jan 1, 2026 |
| South Florida Baptist HospitalPlant City | $2,511 | $4,185 | $157–4,185median $1,45312 insurers | Jan 1, 2026 |
| St Joseph's Hospital-NorthTampa | $2,511 | $4,185 | $157–4,185median $2,02612 insurers | Jan 1, 2026 |
| HCA Florida Northside HospitalSaint Petersburg | $8,013same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $8,013 | $377–7,372median $2,83411 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| HCA Florida Brandon HospitalBrandon | $8,106same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $8,106 | $381–7,458median $2,27012 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| HCA Florida Bayonet Point HospitalHudson | $8,195same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $8,195 | $385–7,539median $2,23311 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| HCA Florida Trinity HospitalTrinity | $8,714same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $8,714 | $410–8,017median $2,52712 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| HCA Florida South Tampa HospitalTampa | $10,135same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $10,135 | $476–9,324median $2,83812 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| HCA Florida Oak Hill HospitalBrooksville | $12,087same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $12,087 | $518–11,120median $3,17411 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| HCA Florida Largo HospitalLargo | $15,711same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $15,711 | $518–14,454median $3,26512 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| HCA Florida South Shore HospitalSun City Center | $17,373same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $17,373 | $817–15,984median $3,26511 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| HCA Florida St Petersburg HospitalSaint Petersburg | $18,415same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $18,415 | $518–16,942median $3,26511 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| Tampa General Hospital BrooksvilleBrooksville | not published | – | $249–1,326median $3346 insurers | 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. 11 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 Tampa without insurance?
At the 8 Tampa–St. Petersburg hospitals (not counting children’s hospitals) that publish a cash price, the outpatient facility charge for a lower back MRI (CPT 72148) runs from $1,293 at Tampa General Hospital to $2,511 at St Joseph's Hospital-North. 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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