MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) cost in North Dakota

Prices at 24 hospitals in North Dakota, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,122 — 4% below the US median ($2,210), roughly 7.9× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
CHI St Alexius Health Williston Williston, ND $958 $844 ★ 3/5 156 min —
CHI St Alexius Health Devils Lake Devils Lake, ND $1,424 $2,734 ★ 2/5 133 min —
CHI St Alexius Health Bismarck, ND $1,599 $1,885 ★ 4/5 176 min —
Garrison Memorial Hospital Garrison, ND $1,599 $1,885 — 102 min —
CHI Oakes Hospital Oakes, ND $1,683 $2,962 — 107 min —
Lisbon Area Health Services Lisbon, ND $1,898 $3,019 — 110 min —
Linton Hospital-CAH Linton, ND $1,902 $1,273 — 108 min —
South Central Health Wishek, ND $1,919 — — 98 min —
CHI St Alexius Health Dickinson Dickinson, ND $1,952 $2,695 ★ 2/5 174 min —
Essentia Health Fargo, ND $2,093 $1,895 ★ 3/5 108 min —
Carrington Health Center Carrington, ND $2,094 $2,636 — 104 min —
Sakakawea Medical Center-CAH Hazen, ND $2,103 $1,138 — 112 min —
Jacobson Memorial Hospital Care Center Elgin, ND $2,142 $2,446 — 111 min —
Mountrail County Medical Center Inc Stanley, ND $2,192 $1,935 — 83 min —
St Andrew's Hospital Bottineau, ND $2,356 $1,565 — 105 min —
Altru Hospital Grand Forks, ND $2,533 $396 ★ 3/5 177 min —
Presentation Medical Center Rolla, ND $2,563 $1,777 — 101 min —
Smp Health St Aloisius Harvey, ND $2,563 $1,777 ★ 1/5 76 min —
Jamestown Regional Medical Center Jamestown, ND $2,787 $2,794 ★ 4/5 109 min —
Tioga Medical Center Tioga, ND $3,111 $3,111 — 82 min —
Sanford Mayville Mayville, ND $3,162 $2,629 — 99 min —
Sanford Hillsboro Hillsboro, ND $3,162 $2,478 — 72 min —
Sanford Medical Center Fargo Fargo, ND $3,529 $2,144 ★ 4/5 181 min —
Sanford Medical Center Bismarck Bismarck, ND $3,555 $2,965 ★ 4/5 180 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)

Chargemaster (list price)
$2,977
Cash / self-pay
$2,122
Insurer-negotiated
$2,144
Medicare pays
$270
$1,599$3,162
Median cash $2,122  ·  Medicare $270  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $2,122 — 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 $2,977 list price could save about $855 (29%).

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.

MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) cost in other states

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