MRI of the mid-back (thoracic spine) cost in Los Angeles, CA

Prices at 7 hospitals in Los Angeles, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $3,103 — 41% above the US median ($2,199), roughly 11.4× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
L a Downtown Medical Center Los Angeles, CA $1,702 $1,022 ★ 3/5 — —
Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA $2,860 $397 ★ 5/5 — —
Kaiser Foundation Hospital-West La Los Angeles, CA $2,860 $397 ★ 3/5 — —
California Hospital Medical Center La Los Angeles, CA $3,347 $567 ★ 2/5 254 min —
East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital Los Angeles, CA $3,966 $625 ★ 1/5 172 min —
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA $5,143 $1,775 ★ 5/5 355 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)
$5,500
Cash / self-pay
$3,103
Insurer-negotiated
$625
Medicare pays
$271
$2,281$4,555
Median cash $3,103  ·  Medicare $271  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $3,103 — about 11.4× 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 $5,500 list price could save about $2,397 (44%).

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