SelfPayRates — hospital cash prices, from the source
Cash prices at 2 facilities 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 14, 2026 and Apr 14, 2026.
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Off | File date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPMC Hamot
ERIE, PA MR SP CANAL LUMBAR WO |
$1,623.00 | $2,705.00 | 40% | — file |
|
| SAINT VINCENT HEALTH CENTER
ERIE, PA HC MRI LUMB SPINE WO CNTRST |
$2,378.82 | $2,901.00 | 18% | Apr 14, 2026 file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,623.00, median $2,000.91, highest $2,378.82 — a 1.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $2,000.91. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 72148 ($1,583.00). 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.
| SAINT VINCENT HEALTH CENTER
ERIE, PA CHG MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL |
$35.46 | file |