Prices at 5 hospitals in Boston, MA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $4,465 — 66% above the US median ($2,688), roughly 14.0× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tufts Medical Center | Boston, MA | $1,909 | $1,322 | ★ 2/5 | 208 min | — |
| Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary | Boston, MA | $2,333 | $405 | — | 174 min | — |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | Boston, MA | $4,465 | $1,618 | ★ 5/5 | 288 min | — |
| Brigham and Women's Hospital | Boston, MA | $4,465 | $424 | ★ 5/5 | 300 min | — |
| The Shriners' Hospital for Children-Boston | Boston, MA | $10,194 | $425 | — | — | — |
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)
Typical cash price here is $4,465 — about 14.0× the Medicare rate ($319). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($637).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $5,953 list price could save about $1,488 (25%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Doctors who perform this in Boston
Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Klufas, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 127 |
| Matthew Desalvo, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 87 |
| Liangge Hsu, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 80 |
| Jason Lauer, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 78 |
| Elmira Hassanzadeh | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 69 |
| Erik Loken | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 65 |
| Charles Cho, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 63 |
| Jeremy Ford | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 56 |
| Neel Madan, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 55 |
| Jisoo Kim | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 46 |
| Rohini Nadgir, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 43 |
| Thomas Flood, M.D., PH.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Boston, MA | 43 |
All MRI of the mid-back (thoracic spine) with and without contrast prices in Massachusetts → · All MRI of the mid-back (thoracic spine) with and without contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Boston