Lower back MRI cost in Kansas City, MO
In Kansas City, MO-KS, 21 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $224.00 to $15,599.64, with a median of $2,864.94. The lowest listed price is at Saint John Hospital and 1 other hospital — $2,640.94 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $1,861.45 at 66 hospitals.
- The median here, $2,864.94, is 50% above the US median of $1,903.81.
- That is 11.8× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($243.77).
- Kansas City, MO ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Missouri by median, cheapest first.
- 9 of 21 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 21 facilities across 14 cities for code 72148, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 6, 2026 and Oct 2, 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 Kansas City, MO-KS.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint John Hospital lowest Leavenworth, KS · (913) 680-6000 Hc Mri, Lumbar Spine File of Mar 17, 2026 · source file | $224.00 | $5,342.11 | $131.00–$4,273.69 | 96% |
| Providence Medical Center lowest Kansas City, KS · (913) 596-4000 Hc Mri, Lumbar Spine File of Mar 17, 2026 · source file | $224.00 | $5,342.11 | $131.00–$4,936.11 | 96% |
| St Joseph Medical Center Kansas City, MO · (816) 942-4400 Hc Mri, Lumbar Spine File of Mar 17, 2026 · source file | $237.00 | $4,708.78 | $131.00–$4,708.78 | 95% |
| Mish Lenexa, KS MRI Spine Lumbar w/o Contrast File of Oct 2, 2026 · source file | $500.00 | $4,500.00 | $189.53–$236.73 | 89% |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 MR Lumbar Spine wo Contrast File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $681.50 | $2,350.00 | $212.24–$2,209.00 | 71% |
| Lakewood Medical Center Kansas City, MO · (816) 404-7000 MR Exam 1 File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $825.55 | $1,501.00 | $279.34–$1,822.00 | 45% |
| University Health Truman Medical Center Kansas City, MO · (816) 404-1000 MR Exam 1 File of Aug 5, 2026 · source file | $825.55 | $1,501.00 | $238.99–$1,822.00 | 45% |
| Liberty Hospital Liberty, MO · (816) 781-7200 MRI L SP WO LTD File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $977.00 | $3,504.00 | $977.62–$2,859.26 | 72% |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City, MO · (816) 234-3000 MRI SPINE LUMBER WO CONTRAST FAC File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,441.44 | $3,003.00 | $137.55–$2,702.70 | 52% |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas Overland Park, KS · (913) 696-8000 MRI SPINE LUMBER WO CONTRAST FAC File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,441.44 | $3,003.00 | $137.55–$2,702.70 | 52% |
| Bates County Memorial Hospital Butler, MO · (660) 200-7000 MRI LUMBAR WO File of Apr 20, 2026 · source file | $2,864.94 | $4,092.77 | $238.99–$3,478.85 | 30% |
| Cass Regional Medical Center Harrisonville, MO · (816) 380-5888 LUMBAR W/O CON 72148 File of Apr 7, 2026 · source file | $4,031.30 | $5,759.00 | $748.67–$5,580.47 | 30% |
| AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Shawnee Mission, KS · (913) 676-2152 HC MRI, LUMBAR SPINE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $4,032.52 | $4,032.52 | — | — |
| AdventHealth South Overland Park Overland Park, KS · (913) 373-2000 HC MRI, LUMBAR SPINE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $4,032.52 | $4,032.52 | — | — |
| Lafayette Regional Health Center Lexington, MO · (660) 259-2203 MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,892.74 | $6,892.74 | $517.79–$6,892.74 | — |
| Lee's Summit Medical Center Lee's Summit, MO · (816) 282-5000 MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $12,686.18 | $12,686.18 | $289.24–$10,783.25 | — |
| Belton Regional Medical Center Kansas City, MO · (816) 348-1200 Magnetic resonance (eg, proton) imaging, spinal canal and contents, lumbar; without contrast material +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $12,716.91 | $12,716.91 | $289.24–$11,445.22 | — |
| Centerpoint Medical Center Independence, MO · (816) 698-7000 MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $12,802.34 | $12,802.34 | $1,664.30–$11,522.11 | — |
| Overland Park Regional Medical Center Olathe, KS · (913) 541-5000 MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $12,992.44 | $12,992.44 | $289.24–$9,744.33 | — |
| Menorah Medical Center Overland Park, KS · (913) 498-6000 Magnetic resonance (eg, proton) imaging, spinal canal and contents, lumbar; without contrast material +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $13,016.93 | $13,016.93 | $289.24–$10,413.54 | — |
| Research Medical Center Kansas City, MO · (816) 276-4000 MRI L-SPINE W/O CONT File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $15,599.64 | $15,599.64 | $2,027.95–$15,599.64 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $224.00, median $2,864.94, highest $15,599.64 — a 69.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $1,441.44. 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 11 of 19 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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.