Prices at 5 hospitals in Boston, MA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $3,701 — 67% above the US median ($2,210), roughly 13.7× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tufts Medical Center | Boston, MA | $1,719 | $1,191 | ★ 2/5 | 208 min | — |
| Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary | Boston, MA | $2,499 | $869 | — | 174 min | — |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | Boston, MA | $3,701 | $424 | ★ 5/5 | 288 min | — |
| Brigham and Women's Hospital | Boston, MA | $4,035 | $420 | ★ 5/5 | 300 min | — |
| The Shriners' Hospital for Children-Boston | Boston, MA | $8,072 | $409 | — | — | — |
CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated September 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.
Price comparison (median)
Typical cash price here is $3,701 — about 13.7× the Medicare rate ($270). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($539).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $4,934 list price could save about $1,234 (25%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Doctors who perform this in Boston
Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Klufas, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 185 |
| Jason Lauer, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 106 |
| Gene Weinstein, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 105 |
| Liangge Hsu, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 102 |
| Jeffrey York, D.O. | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 97 |
| Matthew Desalvo, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 90 |
| Charles Cho, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 85 |
| Erik Loken | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 82 |
| Zulmarie Roig, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 78 |
| Elmira Hassanzadeh | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 78 |
| Neel Madan, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 69 |
| Rafeeque Bhadelia, M.D | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 64 |
All MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) prices in Massachusetts → · All MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) prices (national) · All hospitals in Boston