Two settings, two ways of billing

Hospital MRI vs imaging center MRI cost: what each setting bills, and what is published

A hospital outpatient MRI can arrive as a facility charge plus a separate radiologist’s bill; an independent imaging center may quote one price for both. Hospitals must publish their charges, and this page shows them per billing code. No independent imaging center’s price has been read, so the two cannot be set side by side here.

Peter Langdon · TreatCompare editor — healthcare price research

Published 13 May 2026Updated 6 November 2026

The two settings, code 72148 (MRI lumbar spine without contrast)

Setting	Cash price	How Medicare pays (national)
Hospital outpatient department	Median $1,796 across 77 hospitals’ files (facility charge; the read may be billed separately)	Radiologist’s read: $68.47. The hospital is paid separately under its outpatient schedule: not shown, because CMS publishes it only behind the AMA CPT licence.
Independent imaging center or office	Not tracked: no imaging center’s own price page has been read	Scan and read together: $191.72 (scan $123.25, read $68.47)

Hospital figures: every hospital and its file on the MRI cost page. Medicare: CMS Physician Fee Schedule, relative value file RVU26D, read October 26, 2026; national amounts before geographic adjustment, not a price charged to anyone without Medicare. Hospital outpatient schedule last checked November 6, 2026.

How each setting bills

Facility charge. A hospital outpatient department charges for the room, equipment and staff. Hospital files list it as a separate billing class from the physician’s charge.
The radiologist’s read. The interpretation can be billed separately, sometimes by a different organization with a different network status. Medicare itself pays the scan and the read as two components.
Negotiated rates. Each hospital negotiates its own rates with each insurer for each code; the hospital files on the MRI page show the spread without naming any insurer.
Contrast and supplies. A scan with contrast is a different billing code; supplies may be listed as separate lines.
What a quote includes. One quote may cover the scan and the read; another only the scan. Ask for a written breakdown.

Every MRI code: hospital figures and Medicare

Hospital figures are facility charges from each hospital’s own standard-charge file, one per hospital, with a median only at 4 or more hospitals. Medicare amounts are national, before geographic adjustment.

Code	Hospital cash price	Hospital negotiated rates	What Medicare pays
70551MRI brain without contrast	Median $1,66970 hospitals; lowest $268, highest $10,455	Median $46883 hospitals; lowest $216, highest $3,783	$195.40
70552MRI brain with contrast	Median $2,04981 hospitals; lowest $395, highest $12,186	Median $71192 hospitals; lowest $331, highest $4,663	$268.88
70553MRI brain without and with contrast	Median $2,54779 hospitals; lowest $395, highest $20,478	Median $69190 hospitals; lowest $331, highest $5,663	$316.97
72141MRI cervical spine without contrast	Median $1,90978 hospitals; lowest $268, highest $10,858	Median $50389 hospitals; lowest $216, highest $3,721	$190.72
72148MRI lumbar spine without contrast	Median $1,79677 hospitals; lowest $268, highest $10,888	Median $50488 hospitals; lowest $216, highest $3,717	$191.72
72146MRI thoracic spine without contrast	Median $1,84379 hospitals; lowest $237, highest $10,888	Median $50490 hospitals; lowest $216, highest $3,770	$190.39
73221MRI upper extremity joint without contrast	Median $1,80364 hospitals; lowest $268, highest $10,099	Median $43682 hospitals; lowest $216, highest $3,583	$205.08
73721MRI lower extremity joint without contrast	Median $1,57158 hospitals; lowest $268, highest $10,578	Median $43676 hospitals; lowest $216, highest $3,633	$204.41
74181MRI abdomen without contrast	Median $1,53575 hospitals; lowest $268, highest $9,909	Median $47786 hospitals; lowest $216, highest $3,948	$193.73

Every hospital and its file: MRI cost page (files read October 26, 2026 to November 6, 2026). Medicare: CMS Physician Fee Schedule, relative value file RVU26D, read October 26, 2026.

Run the numbers for your plan

Enter a written cash quote and your plan’s allowed amount for the same code. The calculator works out your share through the plan after deductible and coinsurance, so you can set it beside the cash quote.

Calculator

Cash quote or insurance share for an MRI?

Enter the quote you were given and your own plan figures. Every field starts empty: the tool uses only what you type, or a sourced figure you choose to copy in.

Arithmetic, not a bill

Cash quote ($)

Median hospital cash price, code 72148 (US): $1,795.66 (77 hospitals, facility charge only). every hospital and its file, read October 26, 2026.

Plan’s allowed or negotiated amount ($)

Median hospital negotiated rate, code 72148 (US): $504.07 (88 hospitals, facility charge only; your plan's own rate may differ). every hospital and its file, read October 26, 2026.

Deductible remaining ($)Coinsurance after deductible (%)Copay ($)Out-of-pocket limit remaining ($)

Enter a cash quote and your plan’s allowed amount to see the comparison.

The insurance share is the deductible still to pay (up to the allowed amount), plus your coinsurance on the rest, plus any copay, capped at the out-of-pocket limit you entered. It does not check network status, prior authorization, separately billed physician, radiology, anesthesia or pathology fees, or whether a cash payment counts toward your deductible.

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A written quote or an explanation of benefits you have received helps other readers. Useful submissions include body part, contrast status, radiologist read fee, provider name, date quoted and whether the amount was a cash price, an allowed amount, your share on an explanation of benefits, or a billed charge.

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Before booking, ask

Provider

What billing code will be used for this MRI?
Is the cash quote complete, or are professional or facility fees separate?
Is contrast, anesthesia, pathology or follow-up included if relevant?
Can you provide the quote in writing before booking?
Is contrast included, and is the radiologist interpretation included?
Is the scan billed by a hospital outpatient department or an independent imaging center?

Insurer

Is the provider in-network for my exact plan?
Will this billing code require prior authorization?
What patient responsibility do you estimate after deductible, copay and coinsurance?
If I pay cash, can I submit a claim afterwards, and would it count toward my deductible?

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When the setting is not a price question

The hospital is the only in-network MRI provider on your plan.
Your specialist needs the scan run on specific equipment or with a specific protocol.
You need a same-day read for an urgent clinical decision.
The MRI is part of a hospital-coordinated surgical or inpatient workup.

Paying yourself: the Good Faith Estimate

Providers and facilities must give uninsured and self-pay patients a Good Faith Estimate of expected charges when a service is scheduled or on request.

“This section sets forth requirements for health care providers and health care facilities related to the issuance of good faith estimates of expected charges for uninsured (or self-pay) individuals (or their authorized representatives), upon request or upon scheduling an item or service.”

Ask for the estimate in writing when you book, and ask whether it covers the separate physician, radiology, anesthesia and pathology bills.

eCFR: 45 CFR 149.610, In force (45 CFR 149.610, text as of 2026-10-01), read October 26, 2026.

Healthcare data note

Sources, review and limits

Updated November 6, 2026

Main sources

Hospital standard-charge files (112 hospitals, each file linked below)
CMS Physician Fee Schedule, relative value file RVU26D
CMS ambulatory surgical center rates, Addendum AA (October 2026)
CMS: 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles
Medicare.gov: Medicare costs
HealthCare.gov glossary: out-of-pocket maximum/limit
eCFR: 45 CFR 149.610

Methodology: Hospital figures are read from each hospital's own standard-charge file, one per hospital and billing code, facility charge only. Medicare amounts are CMS's national fee-schedule amounts. No independent imaging center's price has been read, and Medicare's hospital outpatient schedule is not ingested.

Ask about methodologyMethodology, source summaries and structured extracts: TreatCompare data team

Sources

Hospital standard-charge files (112 hospitals, each file linked below), files read October 26, 2026 to November 6, 2026. Read 26 October 2026. Discounted cash prices and negotiated rates, published under 45 CFR 180.50.
CMS Physician Fee Schedule, relative value file RVU26D, released August 26, 2026. Read 26 October 2026. What Medicare pays a clinician, national amount.
CMS ambulatory surgical center rates, Addendum AA (October 2026), effective October 1, 2026. Read 26 October 2026. What Medicare pays an ambulatory surgical center, national rate.
CMS: 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles, Calendar year 2026. Read 26 October 2026. Medicare Part B annual deductible
Medicare.gov: Medicare costs, In force (statutory share; not set annually). Read 26 October 2026. Medicare Part B coinsurance
HealthCare.gov glossary: out-of-pocket maximum/limit, Plan year 2026. Read 26 October 2026. Marketplace out-of-pocket limit, individual
eCFR: 45 CFR 149.610, In force (45 CFR 149.610, text as of 2026-10-01). Read 26 October 2026. Good Faith Estimate for uninsured or self-pay patients

Frequently asked questions

Does an MRI cost less at an independent imaging center than at a hospital?

This site cannot say from published prices: it has read hospitals’ standard-charge files but no independent imaging center’s own price page. Ask both for a written quote for the same billing code, and compare what each includes.

What is a hospital facility charge?

The hospital’s charge for the room, equipment and staff, separate from the physician’s interpretation. Hospital standard-charge files list facility and professional charges as separate billing classes; the figures on this site are the facility charge.

How does Medicare pay for an MRI in each setting?

For code 72148, Medicare's national amount in an office or independent imaging setting is $191.72 for the scan and the read together. In a hospital outpatient department it pays the radiologist $68.47 for the read and pays the hospital separately under its outpatient schedule, which CMS publishes only behind the AMA CPT licence (not shown here). Source: CMS Physician Fee Schedule, relative value file RVU26D.

Are independent imaging centers accredited?

Ask the center which accreditation it holds for MRI, for example from the American College of Radiology (ACR) or the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC), and check it with the accrediting body.

Does insurance treat hospital and imaging-center MRIs the same way?

Not necessarily. Network status, the allowed amount and prior authorization can differ by provider. Ask your insurer for the allowed amount for the billing code at each location before booking.

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