MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye in Akron, OH
In Akron, OH, 3 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $350.00 to $4,937.25, with a median of $1,084.20. The lowest listed price is at Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center LLC.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 72148, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Nov 11, 2025 and Jun 19, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Akron, OH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center LLC lowest Fairlawn, OH MRI scan of lower spinal canal without contrast | $350.00 | $5,040.00 | 93% | Jun 19, 2026 source file |
| Akron General Medical Center Akron, OH MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $1,084.20 | $1,668.00 | 35% | Jun 15, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron Akron, OH HB MR-LUMBAR SPINE WO CM | $4,937.25 | $6,583.00 | 25% | Nov 11, 2025 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $350.00, median $1,084.20, highest $4,937.25 — a 14.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $1,084.20. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
What it is
An MRI of the lower back uses a magnet and radio waves to make detailed pictures of the lumbar spine, including discs, nerves and the spinal canal. It is commonly ordered for back pain that spreads down the leg, numbness or weakness. No contrast dye is used.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the scan. The radiologist's interpretation is often billed separately.
2 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 72148 ($1,646.40). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron Akron, OHCHG MRI, LUMBAR SPINE | $0.60 | file |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron Akron, OHCHG MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $145.80 | file |