Scans and imaging CPT 72148 Outpatient

MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye in Lewiston-Auburn, ME

In Lewiston-Auburn, ME, 2 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $235.00 to $1,124.42, with a median of $679.71. The lowest listed price is at Central Maine Medical Center.

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 Jun 25, 2026 and Jun 25, 2026.

Lowest$235.00Central Maine Medical Center
Median$679.71half pay less
Highest$1,124.42in this market
Difference4.8×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Lewiston-Auburn, ME.

median
Lowest $235.00Highest $1,124.42

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceOff listFile date
Central Maine Medical Center lowest Lewiston, ME HC MRI, LUMBAR SPINE $235.00 $2,668.44 91% Jun 25, 2026
source file
St Mary's Regional Medical Center Lewiston, ME HC MRI-SPINE LUMBAR WO CONTRAST $1,124.42 $2,959.00 62%
source file

Outpatient: lowest $235.00, median $679.71, highest $1,124.42 — a 4.8× difference within the same market.

As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $1,124.42. 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.