Scans and imaging CPT 72148 Outpatient

MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

In Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA, 12 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $305.00 to $10,243.33, with a median of $2,496.00. The lowest listed price is at Desert Valley Hospital.

Cash prices at 12 facilities across 11 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 Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 17, 2026.

Lowest$305.00Desert Valley Hospital
Median$2,496.00half pay less
Highest$10,243.33in this market
Difference33.6×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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA.

median
Lowest $305.00Highest $10,243.33

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceOff listFile date
Desert Valley Hospital lowest Victorville, CA MRI L-SPINE W/O CON $305.00 $4,234.00 93% Sep 1, 2026
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Montclair Hospital Medical Center Montclair, CA Hc Mri, Lumbar Spine $305.00 $6,378.75 95% Sep 1, 2026
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Chino Valley Medical Center Chino, CA Hc Mri, Lumbar Spine $305.00 $6,378.75 95% Sep 1, 2026
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St Mary Medical Center Apple Valley, CA HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE $996.48 $2,076.00 52% Apr 1, 2026
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St Mary Medical Center Apple Valley, CA HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE LIMITED $996.48 $2,076.00 52% Apr 1, 2026
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San Antonio Regional Hospital Upland, CA MRI scan of lower spinal canal without contrast $1,461.00 $11,666.00 87% Apr 2, 2026
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Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Riverside Riverside, CA MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL $2,496.00 $4,800.00 48%
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Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fontana Fontana, CA MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL $2,496.00 $4,800.00 48%
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Palo Verde Hospital Blythe, CA MRI Spine Lumbar w/o Contrast $2,665.50 $3,554.00 25% Jul 1, 2026
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Loma Linda University Childrens Hospital Loma Linda, CA HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTR $2,758.05 $6,129.00 55% Sep 2, 2026
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Loma Linda University Medical Center Loma Linda, CA HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTR $4,753.35 $10,563.00 55% Sep 2, 2026
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Hospital of Barstow INC Barstow, CA MRI scan of lower spinal canal without contrast $6,872.24 $11,453.73 40% Sep 17, 2026
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Riverside University Medical Center Moreno Valley, CA HC MRI Lumbar Spine WO Contr $10,243.33 $10,243.33
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Riverside University Medical Center Moreno Valley, CA HC MRI Lumbar Spine WO Contr $10,243.33 $10,243.33
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Outpatient: lowest $305.00, median $2,496.00, highest $10,243.33 — a 33.6× difference within the same market.

As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $2,665.50. 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.