MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) cost in New Orleans, LA

Prices at 5 hospitals in New Orleans, LA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $814 — 63% below the US median ($2,210), roughly 3.0× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
New Orleans East Hospital New Orleans, LA $513 $649 140 min
Ochsner Medical Center Acute New Orleans, LA $629 $917 ★ 4/5 174 min
University Medical Center New Orleans New Orleans, LA $814 $587 ★ 2/5 327 min
Childrens Hospital New Orleans, LA $1,050 $755
St Charles Surgical Hospital New Orleans, LA $1,093

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)
$3,209
Cash / self-pay
$814
Insurer-negotiated
$702
Medicare pays
$270
$560$1,075
Median cash $814  ·  Medicare $270  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $814 — about 3.0× the Medicare rate ($270). On the higher side. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($539).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $3,209 list price could save about $2,395 (75%).

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.

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