Lower back MRI cost in Seattle, WA
In Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, 17 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $518.88 to $3,160.80, with a median of $1,971.40. The lowest listed price is at Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill and 2 other hospitals — $1,452.52 less than the median here. Across Washington, the median is $2,100.33 at 58 hospitals.
- The median here, $1,971.40, is 4% above the US median of $1,903.81.
- That is 8.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($243.77).
- 1 of 17 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 17 facilities across 13 cities for code 72148, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 6, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill lowest Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $518.88 | $1,081.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Medical Center lowest Seattle, WA · (206) 386-6000 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $518.88 | $1,081.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Issaquah lowest Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $518.88 | $1,081.00 | — | 52% |
| Overlake Medical Center & Clinics Bellevue, WA · (425) 688-5000 Hc Mri Lumbar Spine Wo Con File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $979.00 | $1,958.00 | — | 50% |
| Valley Medical Center Renton, WA · (425) 228-3450 MRI Spinal Canal Lumbar W/O Contrast Material File of Mar 12, 2026 · source file | $1,019.90 | $1,457.00 | — | 30% |
| Valley Medical Center Renton, WA · (425) 228-3450 MRI Spinal Canal Lumbar W/O Contrast Material File of Mar 12, 2026 · source file | $1,029.00 | $1,470.00 | — | 30% |
| Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill Seattle, WA · (206) 320-2000 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,057.44 | $2,203.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Issaquah Issaquah, WA · (425) 313-4000 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,057.44 | $2,203.00 | — | 52% |
| Swedish Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 386-6000 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,057.44 | $2,203.00 | — | 52% |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA · (206) 223-6600 MRI LUMBAR SPINE File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $1,098.03 | $2,153.00 | $1,291.80–$1,722.40 | 49% |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 MRI Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast - Haste File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $1,125.20 | $1,125.20 | $283.55–$1,080.19 | — |
| Providence Regional Medical Center Everett Everett, WA · (425) 261-2000 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE LIMITED+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,139.32 | $2,191.00 | — | 48% |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 MRI Lumbar Spine Limited File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $1,308.10 | $1,308.10 | $329.64–$1,255.78 | — |
| Saint Clare Hospital Lakewood, WA · (253) 588-1711 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CON File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $1,971.40 | $6,839.41 | $273.98–$5,129.56 | 71% |
| Kaiser Permanente Central Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 326-3000 "MAGNET RESONAN (EG,PROTON) LMBR,TECH I"+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,080.00 | $2,600.00 | $242.00–$865.00 | 20% |
| St Anthony Hospital Gig Harbor, WA · (253) 530-2050 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CON File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $2,080.20 | $6,839.41 | $273.98–$5,129.56 | 70% |
| Highline Medical Center Burien, WA · (206) 431-5237 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CON File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $2,088.46 | $6,839.41 | $269.04–$6,155.47 | 69% |
| St Francis Community Hospital Federal Way, WA · (253) 944-8100 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CON File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $2,146.37 | $6,839.41 | $269.04–$5,129.56 | 69% |
| St Joseph Medical Center Tacoma, WA · (253) 627-4101 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CON File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $2,265.20 | $6,839.41 | $273.98–$5,129.56 | 67% |
| Cascade Valley Hospital Arlington, WA · (360) 435-2133 HC LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST File of Mar 26, 2026 · source file | $2,360.00 | $2,950.00 | $236.00–$2,655.00 | 20% |
| St Elizabeth Hospital Enumclaw, WA · (360) 825-2505 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CON File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $2,416.81 | $6,839.41 | $503.91–$6,155.47 | 65% |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 MRI Spine Lumbar W/O Contrast - Ltd File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $2,812.20 | $2,812.20 | $708.67–$2,699.71 | — |
| Snoqualmie Valley Hospital Snoqualmie, WA · (425) 831-2300 Facility Fee HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CON File of Apr 14, 2026 · source file | $3,160.80 | $5,449.66 | $220.85–$5,013.69 | 42% |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 MRI Spine Lumbar W/O Contrast - Ltd - Component File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $3,235.90 | $3,235.90 | $815.45–$3,106.46 | — |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 MRI Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast - Component File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $3,310.10 | $3,310.10 | $834.15–$3,177.70 | — |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 MRI Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $4,939.80 | $4,939.80 | $1,244.83–$4,742.21 | — |
| Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA · (206) 987-2000 MRI Lumbar Myelogram File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $5,308.70 | $5,308.70 | $1,337.79–$5,096.35 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $518.88, median $1,971.40, highest $3,160.80 — a 6.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 18 facilities here, median $2,080.10. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 9 of 11 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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 lower back MRI is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Lower back MRI explained.