Lower back MRI cost in Denver, CO
In Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, 20 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $981.91 to $19,472.20, with a median of $9,312.13. The lowest listed price is at AdventHealth Castle Rock and 3 other hospitals — $8,330.22 less than the median here. Across Colorado, the median is $2,164.66 at 46 hospitals.
- The median here, $9,312.13, is 389% above the US median of $1,903.81.
- That is 38.2× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($243.77).
- 17 of 20 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 20 facilities across 9 cities for code 72148, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 30, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AdventHealth Castle Rock lowest Castle Rock, CO · (720) 455-5000 HC MRI, LUMBAR SPINE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $981.91 | $981.91 | — | — |
| AdventHealth Porter lowest Denver, CO · (303) 778-1955 HC MRI, LUMBAR SPINE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $981.91 | $981.91 | — | — |
| AdventHealth Littleton lowest Littleton, CO · (303) 730-8900 HC MRI, LUMBAR SPINE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $981.91 | $981.91 | — | — |
| AdventHealth Parker lowest Parker, CO · (303) 269-4000 HC MRI, LUMBAR SPINE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $981.91 | $981.91 | — | — |
| National Jewish Health Denver, CO · (303) 388-4461 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST File of Mar 1, 2026 · source file | $1,380.40 | $1,972.00 | $251.70–$1,650.00 | 30% |
| Denver Health and Hospital Authority Denver, CO · (303) 436-4927 HC MRI L-SPINE/CANAL W/O CN File of Apr 30, 2026 · source file | $1,466.10 | $4,188.84 | $251.70–$2,429.00 | 65% |
| Childrens Hospital Colorado Aurora, CO · (720) 777-1234 HB=MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST File of Apr 17, 2026 · source file | $2,773.55 | $4,267.00 | $426.70–$3,925.64 | 35% |
| Spalding at Psl Denver, CO · (303) 839-6000 MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $3,714.25 | $3,714.25 | $999.13–$1,641.70 | — |
| HCA Healthone Mountain Ridge Thornton, CO · (303) 451-7800 MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $9,111.74 | $9,111.74 | $350.00–$8,200.57 | — |
| HCA Healthone Northeast ER Thornton, CO · (303) 451-7800 MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $9,111.74 | $9,111.74 | $350.00–$8,200.57 | — |
| Centennial Hospital A Campus of Tmca Englewood, CO · (303) 873-5511 MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $9,512.51 | $9,512.51 | $1,445.90–$8,561.26 | — |
| HCA Healthone Aurora Aurora, CO · (303) 873-5511 MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $10,108.98 | $10,108.98 | $1,536.56–$9,098.08 | — |
| HCA Healthone Rose Denver, CO · (303) 320-2121 MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $12,233.00 | $12,233.00 | $1,859.42–$11,009.70 | — |
| HCA Healthone Central Park ER Denver, CO · (303) 320-2121 MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $12,233.00 | $12,233.00 | $1,859.42–$11,009.70 | — |
| HCA Healthone Presbyterian St Lukes Denver, CO · (303) 839-6000 MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $13,494.25 | $13,494.25 | $391.22–$12,144.83 | — |
| HCA Healthone Southwest ER Littleton, CO · (303) 788-5000 MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $17,197.07 | $17,197.07 | $2,613.95–$15,477.36 | — |
| HCA Healthone Belmar ER Lakewood, CO · (303) 788-5000 MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $17,197.07 | $17,197.07 | $2,613.95–$15,477.36 | — |
| HCA Healthone Swedish Englewood, CO · (303) 788-5000 MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $17,197.07 | $17,197.07 | $2,613.95–$15,477.36 | — |
| HCA Healthone South Parker ER Parker, CO MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $19,472.20 | $19,472.20 | $493.35–$17,524.98 | — |
| HCA Healthone Sky Ridge Lone Tree, CO · (720) 225-1000 MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $19,472.20 | $19,472.20 | $391.22–$17,524.98 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $981.91, median $9,312.13, highest $19,472.20 — a 19.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $981.91. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 3 of 16 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What lower back MRI is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Lower back MRI explained.