MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 15 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $631.50 to $6,214.20, with a median of $2,232.36. The lowest listed price is at Uniontown Hospital.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 10 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 Mar 6, 2026 and Apr 14, 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 Pittsburgh, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uniontown Hospital lowest Uniontown, PA MRI SCAN OF LOWER SPINAL CANAL WITHOUT CONTRAST | $631.50 | $1,263.00 | 50% | — source file |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE | $707.50 | $1,415.00 | 50% | — source file |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA MR SP CANAL LUMBAR WO | $1,519.80 | $2,533.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $1,554.42 | $2,220.60 | 30% | — source file |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA MRI L SPINE W/O | $1,755.60 | $2,926.00 | 40% | — source file |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA MRI LUMBAR WO/CONTRAST | $1,755.60 | $2,926.00 | 40% | — source file |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONT | $1,755.60 | $2,926.00 | 40% | — source file |
| West Penn Allegheny Health System INC Wexford, PA HC MRI LUMB SPINE WO CNTRST | $2,039.44 | $2,756.00 | 26% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PA HC MRI LUMB SPINE WO CNTRST | $2,232.36 | $2,756.00 | 19% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA MR SP CANAL LUMBAR WO | $3,091.80 | $5,153.00 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA MR SP CANAL LUMBAR WO | $3,682.80 | $6,138.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA HC MR SP CANAL LUMBAR WO | $3,801.60 | $6,336.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA MR SP CANAL LUMBAR WO | $3,834.60 | $6,391.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA MR SP CANAL LUMBAR WO | $3,940.80 | $6,568.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA MR SP CANAL LUMBAR WO | $4,125.00 | $6,875.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA HC MR SP CANAL LUMBAR WO | $4,272.00 | $7,120.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA MR SP CANAL LUMBAR WO | $6,214.20 | $10,357.00 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $631.50, median $2,232.36, highest $6,214.20 — a 9.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 14 facilities here, median $3,091.80. 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.
2 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 72148 ($1,646.40). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PACHG MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $37.43 | file |
| West Penn Allegheny Health System INC Wexford, PACHG MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $51.22 | file |