MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine), no contrast in Detroit, MI costs $236 to $6,335. Here's every hospital's price.
18 hospitals in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area publish a cash price for mri of the lower back (lumbar spine), no contrast (CPT 72148). We read their files every month so you don't have to.
Across the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area, 18 hospitals list a cash price for mri of the lower back (lumbar spine), no contrast (CPT 72148). The lowest is $236 at Lake Huron Medical Center, the median is $1,480 and the highest is $6,335 at Sinai-Grace Hospital. The most expensive hospital lists 27 times the cheapest for the same code.
The Detroit, MI median of $1,480 is in line with the national median of $1,426 across 546 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.
15 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $1 to $3,404. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which is sometimes higher than the cash price; you may ask for the cash price instead.
The files behind these prices are dated between December 2025 and September 2026. 18 other hospitals in the metro area have no readable price for this code: some publish no file, some block automated reading, some leave the code out. They are listed below so you can call them.
Sorted by cash price
Hospital facility fee onlyPort Huron · 42 mi · File Sep 2026
Garden City · 28 mi · File Sep 2026
Clinton Township · 14 mi · File Jun 2026
Detroit · 25 mi · File Jun 2026
Wyandotte · 35 mi · File Jun 2026
W Bloomfield · 16 mi · File Jun 2026
Detroit · 27 mi · File Dec 2025
Port Huron · 43 mi · File Dec 2025
Warren · 18 mi · File Jan 2026
Southfield · 18 mi · File May 2026
Lapeer · 24 mi · File Dec 2025
What's in the price
The hospital facility fee for CPT 72148. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.
Cash vs. insured
Cash is what you pay without insurance. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which can be higher than cash. You may ask for the cash price.
What to say on the phone
"I'd like the self-pay price for CPT 72148, in writing, and whether it covers facility, physician and anesthesia."
About mri of the lower back (lumbar spine), no contrast
CPT 72148 is an MRI of the lumbar spine without contrast. It is the standard imaging test for sciatica, suspected disc herniation and lower-back pain that has not improved after several weeks. It takes 20 to 40 minutes.
What the price covers
The hospital's price is the technical fee: scanner, technologist, room. The radiologist's reading is billed separately. Contrast studies use a different code.
Do you need it?
Most guidelines advise against MRI for uncomplicated back pain in the first six weeks, because the findings rarely change treatment. If your doctor orders one early, it is reasonable to ask why. When it is needed, it is worth shopping: the same scan varies several times in price within one city.
Why prices vary
Hospital main campuses list the highest prices; hospital-owned outpatient imaging centers list lower; freestanding imaging centers, which are not in these files, are often the cheapest. Cash prices at hospitals frequently undercut the negotiated insurance rate.
Questions to ask
- What is the self-pay price for 72148, scan only?
- What does the radiologist charge for the reading?
- Is the same scanner quality available at your outpatient site for less?
Hospitals in Detroit, MI without a price for this procedure
Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.
- Ascension Providence Hospital, Southfield and NoviFile found, not read yet
- Ascension Providence Rochester Hospitalcode not in file
- Ascension River District HospitalFile found, not read yet
- Beaumont Hospital - DearbornWebsite blocks automated reading
- Beaumont Hospital - Farmington HillsWebsite blocks automated reading
- Beaumont Hospital - Grosse PointeNo website on record
- Beaumont Hospital - TaylorWebsite blocks automated reading
- Beaumont Hospital Royal OakWebsite blocks automated reading
- Beaumont Hospital, TroyWebsite blocks automated reading
- Corewell Health Trenton HospitalWebsite blocks automated reading
- Corewell Health Wayne HospitalWebsite blocks automated reading
- Henry Ford Health Brighton Center for RecoveryFile found, not read yet
- Henry Ford Health St John HospitalFile found, not read yet
- Southeast Michigan Surgical Hospital LLCWebsite blocks automated reading
- St Joe Mercy Hospital System LivoniaNo price file found
- Straith Hospital for Special Surgerycode not in file
- Trinity Health Livingston HospitalNo price file found
- Trinity Health Oakland HospitalNo price file found