Lower back MRI cost in San Juan, PR
In San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas, PR, 2 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $400.00 to $400.00, with a median of $400.00. The lowest listed price is at Doctors' Center Hospital - Bayamon and 1 other hospital. Across Puerto Rico, the median is $515.00 at 6 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 72148, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas, PR.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctors' Center Hospital - Bayamon lowest Bayamon, PR · (787) 622-5420 MRI scan of lower spinal canal | $400.00 | $400.00 | $146.00–$650.00 | — | — source file |
| Doctors' Center Hospital - San Juan lowest Santurce, PR · (787) 723-2950 MRI scan of lower spinal canal | $400.00 | $400.00 | $146.00–$650.00 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $400.00, median $400.00, highest $400.00.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 2 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it 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 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.