Prices at 7 hospitals in Los Angeles, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,647 — 37% above the US median ($1,939), roughly 13.8× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L a Downtown Medical Center | Los Angeles, CA | $1,573 | $1,022 | ★ 3/5 | — | 19.1% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $2,496 | $270 | ★ 5/5 | — | 15.2% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-West La | Los Angeles, CA | $2,496 | $270 | ★ 3/5 | — | 15.6% |
| California Hospital Medical Center La | Los Angeles, CA | $2,797 | $392 | ★ 2/5 | 254 min | 15.4% |
| East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital | Los Angeles, CA | $3,371 | $459 | ★ 1/5 | 179 min | 14.9% |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center | Los Angeles, CA | $5,143 | $1,665 | ★ 5/5 | 369 min | 14.3% |
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 August 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 $2,647 — about 13.8× the Medicare rate ($192). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($383).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $4,800 list price could save about $2,153 (45%).
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 Los Angeles
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonnie Freitas, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Los Angeles, CA | 585 |
| Brian Zipser, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Los Angeles, CA | 456 |
| Frank Hebroni, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Los Angeles, CA | 330 |
| Bryan Yoo, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Los Angeles, CA | 306 |
| Stephen Metting, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Los Angeles, CA | 304 |
| Marcel Maya, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Los Angeles, CA | 249 |
| Franklin Moser, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Los Angeles, CA | 242 |
| Robert Reuter, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Los Angeles, CA | 238 |
| Andrew Surman | Diagnostic Radiology | Los Angeles, CA | 233 |
| Mohammad Nourmohammadi, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Los Angeles, CA | 227 |
| Gary Hoang | Diagnostic Radiology | Los Angeles, CA | 225 |
| Pareen Mehta, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Los Angeles, CA | 211 |
All MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast prices in California → · All MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Los Angeles