Scans and imaging CPT 72148 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Lower back MRI cost in New Orleans, LA — inpatient

In New Orleans-Metairie, LA, 6 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $404.16 to $1,092.54, with a median of $609.34. The lowest listed price is at St Bernard Parish Hospital — $205.18 less than the median here. Across Louisiana, the median is $1,017.63 at 55 hospitals.

Cash prices at 6 facilities across 5 cities for code 72148, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.

Lowest$404.16St Bernard Parish Hospital

Median$609.34half of hospitals charge less

Highest$1,092.54in this market

Difference2.7×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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA.

median

Lowest $404.16Highest $1,092.54

Hospitals, cheapest first

Hospital	Cash price	List price	Insurers pay	Off list
St Bernard Parish Hospital lowest Chalmette, LA · (504) 826-9500 HC MRI SPINE LUMBAR WITHOUT CONTRAST source file	$404.16	$1,263.00	—	68%
Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner Kenner, LA · (504) 464-8065 HC MRI SPINE LUMBAR WITHOUT CONTRAST source file	$504.00	$1,800.00	—	72%
Ochsner Clinic Foundation New Orleans, LA · (504) 842-3000 HC MRI SPINE LUMBAR WITHOUT CONTRAST source file	$582.56	$2,648.00	—	78%
St Charles Parish Hospital Luling, LA · (985) 785-3644 HC MRI SPINE LUMBAR WITHOUT CONTRAST source file	$636.12	$2,356.00	—	73%
The Ochsner West Campus Extended Care Hospital Jefferson, LA HC MRI SPINE LUMBAR WITHOUT CONTRAST source file	$783.66	$2,118.00	—	63%
St Charles Surgical Hospital New Orleans, LA · (504) 529-6600 XR SPINAL LUMBAR MRI W/O source file	$1,092.54	$3,098.00	$218.41–$1,540.00	65%

Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.

Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More

List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More

Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More

Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.

Inpatient: lowest $404.16, median $609.34, highest $1,092.54 — a 2.7× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 14 facilities here, median $692.24 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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 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.