Prices at 4 hospitals in Columbus, OH, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,632 — 26% below the US median ($2,210), roughly 6.1× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Carmel East & West | Columbus, OH | $1,407 | $1,011 | ★ 2/5 | 147 min | — |
| Riverside Methodist Hospital | Columbus, OH | $1,632 | $336 | ★ 4/5 | 230 min | — |
| Grant Medical Center | Columbus, OH | $1,632 | $336 | ★ 2/5 | 158 min | — |
| Doctors Hospital | Columbus, OH | $1,632 | $344 | ★ 4/5 | 178 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)
Typical cash price here is $1,632 — about 6.1× 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 $2,510 list price could save about $879 (35%).
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 Columbus
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. Nicholas Fetko, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 73 |
| Joel Fritz, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 69 |
| Rukya Masum | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 63 |
| Amna Ajam, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 56 |
| Elizabeth Schrickel, M.D., D.C. | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 56 |
| Ryan Gallagher, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 53 |
| Andrew Kalnin, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 43 |
| J Wiot, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 36 |
| Luciano Prevedello, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 34 |
| Rakesh Mannava, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 33 |
| Xuan Nguyen, MD, PHD | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 31 |
| Brian Chou, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Columbus, OH | 28 |
All MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) prices in Ohio → · All MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) prices (national) · All hospitals in Columbus