Prices at 14 hospitals in Philadelphia, PA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $6,006 — 210% above the US median ($1,939), roughly 31.3× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nazareth Hospital | Philadelphia, PA | $2,876 | $468 | ★ 2/5 | 216 min | 14.5% |
| St Christopher's Hospital for Children | Philadelphia, PA | $5,948 | $1,549 | — | — | — |
| Shriners Hospitals for Children-Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA | $6,065 | $256 | — | — | — |
| Penn Presbyterian Medical Center | Philadelphia, PA | $6,802 | $2,161 | ★ 4/5 | 316 min | 15.2% |
| Philadelphia VA Medical Center | Philadelphia, PA | $8,658 | $2,972 | ★ 5/5 | — | 14.5% |
| Children's Hospital of Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA | $8,658 | $2,972 | — | — | — |
| Hospital of Univ of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $9,181 | $2,387 | ★ 5/5 | 280 min | 14.4% |
| Pennsylvania Hospital | Philadelphia, PA | $10,369 | $2,181 | ★ 4/5 | 272 min | 15.8% |
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 $6,006 — about 31.3× 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 $8,658 list price could save about $2,652 (31%).
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 Philadelphia
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corbin Pomeranz, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 1,211 |
| Varun Sethi, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 1,069 |
| Diane Deely, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 538 |
| Sushrut Shah, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 476 |
| Michael Benstock | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 448 |
| Andrew Friedman, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 413 |
| Swapnil Patel, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 362 |
| Dinesh Sharma, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 316 |
| William Morrison, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 302 |
| Aaron Skolnik, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 275 |
| Joshua Mccambridge, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 264 |
| Fraser Brown, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Philadelphia, PA | 261 |
All MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast prices in Pennsylvania → · All MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Philadelphia