MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) cost in Nashville, TN

Prices at 6 hospitals in Nashville, TN, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $5,902 — 167% above the US median ($2,210), roughly 21.9× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN $1,054 $332 ★ 5/5 269 min
Metro Nashville General Hospital Nashville, TN $2,047 $95 ★ 4/5 125 min
Tristar Skyline Medical Center Nashville, TN $9,756 $741 ★ 2/5 180 min
Tristar Centennial Medical Center Nashville, TN $10,721 $757 ★ 4/5 115 min
Tristar Southern Hills Medical Center Nashville, TN $11,498 $616 ★ 4/5 119 min

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)

Chargemaster (list price)
$6,584
Cash / self-pay
$5,902
Insurer-negotiated
$474
Medicare pays
$270
$745$11,110
Median cash $5,902  ·  Medicare $270  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $5,902 — about 21.9× 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 $6,584 list price could save about $682 (10%).

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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 Nashville

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.

ClinicianSpecialtyLocationMedicare services
Joshua Tavernier, MDDiagnostic RadiologyNashville, TN98
Ranjit Bagga, M.D.Diagnostic RadiologyNashville, TN89
Rudolph Glattes, M.D.Orthopedic SurgeryNashville, TN48
Jeffrey Creasy, MDDiagnostic RadiologyNashville, TN43
Michael Landman, MDDiagnostic RadiologyNashville, TN36
William Moore, MDDiagnostic RadiologyNashville, TN35
Simone MontoyaDiagnostic RadiologyNashville, TN32
Michael Modic, M.D.Diagnostic RadiologyNashville, TN30
John Ross, MDDiagnostic RadiologyNashville, TN27
Joseph Aulino, MDDiagnostic RadiologyNashville, TN16
Morgan Anderson, M.D.Diagnostic RadiologyNashville, TN16
Larry Davis, M.D.Diagnostic RadiologyNashville, TN14

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All MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) prices in Tennessee → · All MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) prices (national) · All hospitals in Nashville