MRI of the mid-back (thoracic spine) cost in California

Prices at 181 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $3,587 — 63% above the US median ($2,199), roughly 13.2× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Fresno Surgical Hospital Fresno, CA $609 $475 — — —
Mercy Medical Center Redding Redding, CA $635 — ★ 2/5 194 min —
Pih Health Downey Hospital Downey, CA $735 $602 ★ 4/5 242 min —
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Brawley, CA $753 $442 ★ 3/5 191 min —
Community Memorial Hospital-Ojai Ojai, CA $754 $1,237 — 114 min —
St Rose Hospital Hayward, CA $925 $504 ★ 1/5 160 min —
Kern Medical Center Bakersfield, CA $945 $288 ★ 1/5 306 min —
Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, CA $1,078 $449 ★ 4/5 194 min —
Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA $1,078 $449 ★ 5/5 186 min —
Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA $1,078 $449 ★ 5/5 — —
Scripps Memorial Hospital-Encinitas Encinitas, CA $1,078 $449 ★ 4/5 200 min —
Colorado River Medical Center Needles, CA $1,104 — — 121 min —
San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Banning, CA $1,124 $431 ★ 3/5 194 min —
Ventura County Medical Center Ventura, CA $1,130 $467 ★ 2/5 178 min —
Community Memorial Hospital-Ventura Ventura, CA $1,130 $467 ★ 4/5 190 min —
Mercy Medical Center Merced, CA $1,162 $824 ★ 3/5 224 min —
College Medical Center Long Beach, CA $1,200 $450 ★ 3/5 322 min —
College Hospital Cerritos, CA $1,200 $450 — — —
Glendora Hospital Glendora, CA $1,200 $450 — — —
Adventist Health Tulare Tulare, CA $1,342 $335 ★ 3/5 198 min —
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville, CA $1,598 $2,183 ★ 3/5 116 min —
UCI Health-Orange Orange, CA $1,654 $505 ★ 4/5 318 min —
UCI Health-Fountain Valley Fountain Valley, CA $1,654 $505 ★ 2/5 158 min —
Kaweah Health Medical Center Visalia, CA $1,694 $1,628 ★ 3/5 254 min —
UCI Health-Los Alamitos Los Alamitos, CA $1,701 $505 ★ 1/5 238 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)
$6,402
Cash / self-pay
$3,587
Insurer-negotiated
$524
Medicare pays
$271
$739$6,776
Median cash $3,587  ·  Medicare $271  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $3,587 — about 13.2× the Medicare rate ($271). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($542).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $6,402 list price could save about $2,815 (44%).

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 mid-back (thoracic spine) cost in other states

All MRI of the mid-back (thoracic spine) prices (national) → · All hospitals in California →