Scans and imaging CPT 72148 Outpatient

MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye in Omaha, NE-IA

In Omaha, NE-IA, 10 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $900.30 to $2,285.85, with a median of $1,424.64. The lowest listed price is at Jennie Edmundson Memorial Hospital.

Cash prices at 10 facilities across 5 cities 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 Feb 14, 2026 and Aug 10, 2026.

Lowest$900.30Jennie Edmundson Memorial Hospital
Median$1,424.64half pay less
Highest$2,285.85in this market
Difference2.5×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 Omaha, NE-IA.

median
Lowest $900.30Highest $2,285.85

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceOff listFile date
Jennie Edmundson Memorial Hospital lowest Council Bluffs, IA MRI Exam $900.30 $3,001.00 70% Feb 15, 2026
source file
Nebraska Methodist Hospital Omaha, NE MRI Exam $1,080.36 $3,001.00 64% Feb 14, 2026
source file
Nebraska Methodist Hospital Omaha, NE MRI Exam $1,080.36 $3,001.00 64% Feb 14, 2026
source file
Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, NE MRI scan of lower spinal canal without contrast $1,121.25 $1,725.00 35% Aug 10, 2026
source file
Bellevue Medical Center LLC Bellevue, NE MRI scan of lower spinal canal without contrast $1,121.25 $1,725.00 35% Aug 10, 2026
source file
Alegent Creighton Health Papillion, NE HC MR LUMBAR WO CONTRAST $1,424.64 $3,392.00 58% Feb 28, 2026
source file
Alegent Creighton Health Omaha, NE HC MR LUMBAR WO CONTRAST $1,424.64 $3,392.00 58% Feb 28, 2026
source file
Alegent Health Immanuel Medical Center Omaha, NE HC MR LUMBAR WO CONTRAST $1,424.64 $3,392.00 58% Feb 28, 2026
source file
Alegent Health Bergan Mercy Health System Council Bluffs, IA HC MR LUMBAR WO CONTRAST $1,424.64 $3,392.00 58% Feb 28, 2026
source file
Alegent Health Bergan Mercy Health System Omaha, NE HC MR LUMBAR WO CONTRAST $1,424.64 $3,392.00 58% Feb 28, 2026
source file
Alegent Health Bergan Mercy Health System Omaha, NE HC MR LUMBAR WO CONTRAST $1,424.64 $3,392.00 58% Feb 28, 2026
source file
Alegent Health Community Memorial Hospital of Missouri Valley, Iowa Missouri Valley, IA HC MR LUMBAR WO CONTRAST $2,285.85 $4,665.00 51% Feb 28, 2026
source file

Outpatient: lowest $900.30, median $1,424.64, highest $2,285.85 — a 2.5× difference within the same market.

As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $1,424.64. 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.