MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY
In Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, 5 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $300.00 to $4,232.29, with a median of $672.88. The lowest listed price is at Mount St. Mary's Hospital.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 2 cities for code 72148, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Aug 25, 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital lowest Lewiston, NY HC MRI, Lumbar Spine - MRI Lumbar Spine WO Contrast | $300.00 | $1,457.00 | 79% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Buffalo, NY HC MRI, Lumbar Spine - MRI Lumbar Spine WO Contrast | $300.00 | $1,457.00 | 79% | — source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital Buffalo, NY HC MRI, Lumbar Spine - MRI Lumbar Spine WO Contrast | $300.00 | $1,457.00 | 79% | — source file |
| Erie County Medical Center Corporation Buffalo, NY MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE | $499.12 | — | — | Aug 25, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Buffalo, NY MRI Spinal Canal Lumbar W/O Contrast Material | $846.63 | $846.63 | — | — source file |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital Lewiston, NY MRI Spinal Canal Lumbar W/O Contrast Material | $846.63 | $846.63 | — | — source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital Buffalo, NY MRI Spinal Canal Lumbar W/O Contrast Material | $846.63 | $846.63 | — | — source file |
| Roswell Park Cancer Institute Buffalo, NY Mri,Lumbar W/O Contrast | $4,232.29 | $4,232.29 | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $300.00, median $672.88, highest $4,232.29 — a 14.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $846.63. 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.