Prices at 3 hospitals in Salt Lake City, UT, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,129 — 10% above the US median ($1,939), roughly 11.1× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holy Cross Hospital-Salt Lake | Salt Lake City, UT | $2,129 | $2,439 | ★ 3/5 | 145 min | 14.5% |
| VA Salt Lake City Healthcare-George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center | Salt Lake City, UT | $2,129 | $2,439 | ★ 4/5 | — | 14.0% |
| St Mark's Hospital | Salt Lake City, UT | $2,769 | $612 | ★ 4/5 | 108 min | 14.0% |
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 $2,129 — about 11.1× 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 $5,323 list price could save about $3,194 (60%).
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 Salt Lake City
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Pomeranz, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Salt Lake City, UT | 669 |
| Laura Mann, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Salt Lake City, UT | 213 |
| Caleb Sturge, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Salt Lake City, UT | 185 |
| Mark Jones, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Salt Lake City, UT | 163 |
| Zachary Berg, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Salt Lake City, UT | 146 |
| Jordan Jones, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Salt Lake City, UT | 143 |
| Chad Christensen, D.O. | Diagnostic Radiology | Salt Lake City, UT | 131 |
| Alexander Schabel, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Salt Lake City, UT | 104 |
| Wei Lin Ouyang, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Salt Lake City, UT | 88 |
| Brian Berg, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Salt Lake City, UT | 51 |
| Marc Caragea, DO | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | Salt Lake City, UT | 48 |
| Patrick Frias, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Salt Lake City, UT | 45 |
All MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast prices in Utah → · All MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Salt Lake City