MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) cost in New Mexico

Prices at 12 hospitals in New Mexico, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,133 — 3% below the US median ($2,210), roughly 7.9× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Unm Hospital Albuquerque, NM $1,178 $344 ★ 2/5 273 min
Lovelace Medical Center Albuquerque, NM $1,615 $2,137 ★ 2/5 212 min
Lovelace Women's Hospital Albuquerque, NM $1,615 $2,137 ★ 4/5 205 min
Lovelace Westside Hospital Albuquerque, NM $1,615 $2,137 ★ 4/5 159 min
Lovelace Regional Hospital-Roswell Roswell, NM $1,615 $2,137 ★ 2/5 130 min
Gila Regional Medical Center Silver City, NM $1,947 $1,200 ★ 2/5 191 min
Holy Cross Hospital a Div of Taos Health Systems Taos, NM $2,319 ★ 1/5 92 min
Union County General Hospital Clayton, NM $2,798 $3,597 132 min
Artesia General Hospital Artesia, NM $2,906 $1,749 99 min
Sierra Vista Hospital T Or C, NM $3,117 $643 175 min
Memorial Medical Center Las Cruces, NM $4,800 $1,883 ★ 2/5 206 min
Los Alamos Medical Center Los Alamos, NM $4,999 $3,417 168 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 September 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)
$5,114
Cash / self-pay
$2,133
Insurer-negotiated
$2,137
Medicare pays
$270
$1,615$4,631
Median cash $2,133  ·  Medicare $270  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $2,133 — about 7.9× 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 $5,114 list price could save about $2,981 (58%).

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) cost in other states

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