MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) cost in Dayton, OH

Prices at 4 hospitals in Dayton, OH, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $3,257 — 47% above the US median ($2,210), roughly 12.1× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Kettering Health Dayton Dayton, OH $1,062 $514 ★ 4/5 127 min —
Dayton Childrens Hospital Dayton, OH $3,114 $340 — — —
Miami Valley Hospital Dayton, OH $3,400 $436 ★ 3/5 159 min —
Shriners Hospitals for Children Dayton, OH $8,666 $381 — — —

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)
$3,924
Cash / self-pay
$3,257
Insurer-negotiated
$409
Medicare pays
$270
$1,678$7,086
Median cash $3,257  ·  Medicare $270  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $3,257 — about 12.1× 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 $3,924 list price could save about $667 (17%).

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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.

All MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) prices in Ohio → · All MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) prices (national) · All hospitals in Dayton