MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast cost in Pennsylvania

Prices at 90 hospitals in Pennsylvania, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,699 — 12% below the US median ($1,936), roughly 8.9× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Jefferson Lansdale Hospital Lansdale, PA $275 $224 ★ 3/5 234 min —
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Philadelphia, PA $282 $232 ★ 3/5 236 min —
Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital Philadelphia, PA $283 $261 ★ 3/5 268 min —
Jefferson Einstein Montgomery Hospital East Norriton, PA $283 $254 ★ 4/5 297 min —
Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center Camp Hill, PA $289 $245 ★ 3/5 252 min —
Penn State Health St. Joseph Reading, PA $314 $277 ★ 3/5 232 min —
Surgical Institute of Reading Wyomissing, PA $344 $209 — — —
Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, PA $350 $240 ★ 3/5 231 min —
Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center Enola, PA $380 $266 ★ 4/5 196 min —
Milton S Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA $401 $263 ★ 4/5 261 min —
Wellspan York Hospital York, PA $454 $875 ★ 4/5 254 min —
Gettysburg Hospital Gettysburg, PA $454 $869 ★ 4/5 149 min —
Wellspan Good Samaritan Hospital Lebanon, PA $454 $367 ★ 5/5 197 min —
Wellspan Waynesboro Hospital Waynesboro, PA $454 $425 ★ 4/5 145 min —
Wellspan Chambersburg Hospital Chambersburg, PA $454 $674 ★ 4/5 178 min —
Wellspan Ephrata Community Hospital Ephrata, PA $454 $856 ★ 5/5 184 min —
Wellspan Surgery and Rehabilitation Hospital York, PA $454 $916 — — —
Heritage Valley Beaver Beaver, PA $513 $232 ★ 3/5 185 min —
Heritage Valley Sewickley Sewickley, PA $513 $232 ★ 4/5 135 min —
Acmh Hospital Kittanning, PA $743 $247 ★ 3/5 195 min —
St Clair Hospital Pittsburgh, PA $748 $348 ★ 4/5 200 min —
Conemaugh Nason Medical Center Roaring Spring, PA $1,017 $593 ★ 5/5 141 min —
Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center Johnstown, PA $1,017 $593 ★ 2/5 176 min —
Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center Meyersdale, PA $1,017 $593 — 84 min —
Conemaugh Miners Medical Center Hastings, PA $1,017 $593 — 126 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 October 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)
$3,645
Cash / self-pay
$1,699
Insurer-negotiated
$475
Medicare pays
$192
$283$6,378
Median cash $1,699  ·  Medicare $192  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,699 — about 8.9× 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 $3,645 list price could save about $1,946 (53%).

Estimate what you’ll pay
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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.

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MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast cost in other states

All MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast prices (national) → · All hospitals in Pennsylvania →