Lower back MRI cost in Milwaukee, WI
In Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI, 15 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $1,341.96 to $2,783.96, with a median of $2,210.00. The lowest listed price is at Ascension St. Francis Hospital and 3 other hospitals — $868.04 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $2,210.00 at 98 hospitals.
- The median here, $2,210.00, is 16% above the US median of $1,903.81.
- That is 9.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($243.77).
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 9 cities for code 72148, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 7, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2026 and Nov 6, 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension St. Francis Hospital lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 647-5000 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $1,341.96 | $2,532.00 | $254.16–$836.00 | 47% |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 447-2130 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $1,341.96 | $2,532.00 | $254.16–$836.00 | 47% |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital - Franklin Campus lowest Franklin, WI · (414) 447-2130 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $1,341.96 | $2,532.00 | $254.16–$836.00 | 47% |
| Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital lowest Franklin, WI HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $1,341.96 | $2,532.00 | $254.16–$836.00 | 47% |
| Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital - Ozaukee Campus Mequon, WI HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $2,067.00 | $3,900.00 | $116.26–$719.71 | 47% |
| Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital - Milwaukee Campus Milwaukee, WI · (414) 585-1374 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $2,067.00 | $3,900.00 | $116.26–$719.71 | 47% |
| Aurora Medical Center Kenosha Kenosha, WI · (262) 948-5600 MR LUMBAR SPINE LTD WITHOUT DYE+1 more line at this price File of Nov 6, 2026 · source file | $2,210.00 | $4,420.00 | $238.26–$3,757.00 | 50% |
| Aurora Medical Center Summit Summit, WI · (262) 434-1600 MR L SPINE WO DYE File of Nov 5, 2026 · source file | $2,210.00 | $4,420.00 | $241.46–$3,757.00 | 50% |
| Aurora Medical Center Grafton Grafton, WI · (262) 329-1000 MR L SPINE WO DYE File of Nov 4, 2026 · source file | $2,210.00 | $4,420.00 | $237.66–$3,757.00 | 50% |
| Aurora St. Luke's South Shore of Aurora Health Care Metro Cudahy, WI · (414) 649-6000 MR L SPINE WO DYE File of Nov 6, 2026 · source file | $2,210.00 | $4,420.00 | $237.66–$3,757.00 | 50% |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI · (414) 649-6000 MR LUMBAR SPINE LTD WITHOUT DYE+1 more line at this price File of Nov 5, 2026 · source file | $2,210.00 | $4,420.00 | $237.66–$3,757.00 | 50% |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center Milwaukee, WI · (414) 649-6000 MR L SPINE WO DYE File of Nov 5, 2026 · source file | $2,210.00 | $4,420.00 | $237.66–$3,757.00 | 50% |
| Aurora West Allis Medical Center West Allis, WI · (414) 328-6000 MR L SPINE WO DYE+1 more line at this price File of Nov 6, 2026 · source file | $2,210.00 | $4,420.00 | $237.66–$3,757.00 | 50% |
| Aurora Medical Center Washington County Hartford, WI · (262) 673-2300 MR L SPINE WO DYE File of Nov 5, 2026 · source file | $2,210.00 | $4,420.00 | $237.66–$3,757.00 | 50% |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST+3 more lines at this price File of Mar 23, 2026 · source file | $2,783.96 | $5,061.75 | $3,543.23–$4,808.66 | 45% |
Outpatient: lowest $1,341.96, median $2,210.00, highest $2,783.96 — a 2.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 15 facilities here, median $2,210.00. 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 9 of 15 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.