MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) cost in Pennsylvania

Prices at 80 hospitals in Pennsylvania, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,857 — 16% below the US median ($2,210), roughly 6.9× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center Camp Hill, PA $289 $351 ★ 3/5 252 min
Lower Bucks Hospital Bristol, PA $343 $353 ★ 3/5 150 min
Advanced Surgical Hospital Washington, PA $346 $346
Roxborough Memorial Hospital Philadelphia, PA $356 $357 ★ 2/5 186 min
Rothman Orthopaedic Specialty Hospital Bensalem, PA $371 $410
Jefferson Lansdale Hospital Lansdale, PA $402 $315 ★ 3/5 234 min
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Philadelphia, PA $412 $329 ★ 3/5 236 min
Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital Philadelphia, PA $419 $382 ★ 3/5 268 min
Jefferson Einstein Montgomery Hospital East Norriton, PA $419 $371 ★ 4/5 297 min
Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, PA $434 $347 ★ 3/5 231 min
Penn State Health St. Joseph Reading, PA $465 $364 ★ 3/5 232 min
Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center Enola, PA $471 $348 ★ 4/5 196 min
Milton S Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA $496 $377 ★ 4/5 261 min
Surgical Institute of Reading Wyomissing, PA $503 $269
Heritage Valley Beaver Beaver, PA $569 $323 ★ 3/5 185 min
Heritage Valley Sewickley Sewickley, PA $569 $323 ★ 4/5 135 min
Wellspan Surgery and Rehabilitation Hospital York, PA $577 $1,034
Wellspan York Hospital York, PA $636 $1,167 ★ 4/5 254 min
Gettysburg Hospital Gettysburg, PA $636 $1,157 ★ 4/5 149 min
Wellspan Good Samaritan Hospital Lebanon, PA $636 $445 ★ 5/5 197 min
Wellspan Waynesboro Hospital Waynesboro, PA $636 $583 ★ 4/5 145 min
Wellspan Chambersburg Hospital Chambersburg, PA $636 $808 ★ 4/5 178 min
Wellspan Ephrata Community Hospital Ephrata, PA $636 $856 ★ 5/5 184 min
Acmh Hospital Kittanning, PA $743 $353 ★ 3/5 195 min
St Clair Hospital Pittsburgh, PA $822 $409 ★ 4/5 200 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)
$4,790
Cash / self-pay
$1,857
Insurer-negotiated
$669
Medicare pays
$270
$416$6,885
Median cash $1,857  ·  Medicare $270  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,857 — about 6.9× 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 $4,790 list price could save about $2,934 (61%).

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 Pennsylvania →