# MRI, lower spine, without contrast in GA

Billing code `72148`. Prices for this code at 109 hospitals in GA, taken from the machine-readable standard charge files each hospital is required to publish under the CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule (45 CFR 180.50).

Source page: https://clearcharge.org/price/ga/mri-lower-spine-without-contrast

HC MRI, LUMBAR SPINE - MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST

## Before quoting any figure below

- **Hospital charges only.** The surgeon, anaesthetist, radiologist and pathologist bill separately and appear in no hospital price file, by construction. Every figure below is part of a total, never the total.
- **A negotiated rate is not a bill.** It is what a hospital and an insurer agreed. What a patient owes depends on their deductible, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximum.
- **Each hospital's figure is a median across its own plans.** The spread inside one hospital is often wider than the gap between two of them.
- **"not mentioned" is not $0.** It means this hospital's file does not label a row that way. Silence is not a statement that the charge does not exist.
- **A hospital absent from the table says nothing about its prices.** It may publish this code under a revenue or drug code this site cannot map to a procedure.

A procedure code is billed twice -- once by the hospital for its own costs, once by the doctor for their work -- and hospitals publish different sides of that split under the same code. Of the hospitals here, 46 publish a facility charge; 7 publish both, mixed together; 56 do not label which half the figure is.

## Typical price

|  | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cheapest tenth | $238 |
| Typical | $678 |
| Dearest tenth | $1,869 |

The cheapest and dearest tenth are the hospitals a tenth of the way in from each end, not the single cheapest and dearest. Every hospital, including both extremes, is in the table below.

That is a 8-fold difference for the same billing code -- a gap between hospitals, not between treatments.

## Every hospital publishing this code

| Hospital | Where | CMS rating | Typical | Facility charge | Physician fee | Self-pay | Lowest | Highest | Plans on file |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Regional Medical Center | HINESVILLE | not rated | $89 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $398 | $86 | $398 | 6 |
| Memorial Health University Medical Center | SAVANNAH | 1/5 | $124 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $4,587 | $37 | $4,128 | 187 |
| Grady Memorial Hospital | ATLANTA | 2/5 | see split | $1,116 | $114 | $4,804 | $66 | $3,843 | 120 |
| Hamilton Medical Center | DALTON | 3/5 | $172 | $172 | not mentioned | $5,975 | $160 | $184 | 2 |
| Optim Medical Center - Screven | SYLVANIA | not rated | $213 | $213 | not mentioned | $1,948 | $209 | $524 | 7 |
| St Francis Hospital- Emory Healthcare | COLUMBUS | 3/5 | $217 | $217 | not mentioned | not published | $91 | $869 | 11 |
| Northeast Georgia Medical Center Habersham | DEMOREST | 3/5 | $220 | $220 | not mentioned | $958 | $209 | $1,342 | 7 |
| Emory Houston Hospital Warner Robins | WARNER ROBINS | 2/5 | $224 | $224 | not mentioned | $1,500 | $214 | $628 | 9 |
| SGMC Health | VALDOSTA | 2/5 | $229 | $229 | not mentioned | $770 | $165 | $270 | 4 |
| Atrium Health Navicent the Medical Center | MACON | 2/5 | see split | $2,476 | $173 | $2,102 | $66 | $3,909 | 91 |
| Navicent Health Baldwin | MILLEDGEVILLE | 2/5 | see split | $1,708 | $173 | $1,124 | $66 | $3,284 | 85 |
| Southern Regional Medical Center | RIVERDALE | 1/5 | $238 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $238 | $222 | $3,493 | 41 |
| Northeast Georgia Medical Center | GAINESVILLE | 3/5 | $244 | $244 | not mentioned | $958 | $235 | $788 | 6 |
| Tanner Medical Center - Carrollton | CARROLLTON | 2/5 | $245 | $245 | not mentioned | $1,649 | $238 | $262 | 5 |
| NGMC Barrow | WINDER | 4/5 | $249 | $249 | not mentioned | $958 | $239 | $788 | 6 |
| Memorial Satilla Health | WAYCROSS | 3/5 | $249 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $6,668 | $106 | $6,001 | 156 |
| SGMC Berrien Campus | NASHVILLE | not rated | $250 | $250 | not mentioned | $770 | $208 | $312 | 3 |
| Emory Hillandale Hospital | LITHONIA | 1/5 | $252 | $252 | not mentioned | $2,296 | $238 | $828 | 12 |
| Emory University Hospital | ATLANTA | 4/5 | $254 | $254 | not mentioned | $2,296 | $238 | $965 | 13 |
| Emory Decatur Hospital | DECATUR | 2/5 | $254 | $254 | not mentioned | $2,296 | $238 | $965 | 13 |
| Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta | ATLANTA | 3/5 | $257 | $257 | not mentioned | $2,296 | $238 | $965 | 13 |
| Emory Johns Creek Hospital | JOHNS CREEK | 4/5 | $257 | $257 | not mentioned | $2,296 | $238 | $965 | 13 |
| Emory University Hospital Midtown | ATLANTA | 2/5 | $257 | $257 | not mentioned | $2,296 | $238 | $965 | 13 |
| Northeast Georgia Medical Center Lumpkin | DAHLONEGA | 5/5 | $257 | $257 | not mentioned | $958 | $248 | $788 | 6 |
| Phoebe Sumter Medical Center | AMERICUS | 3/5 | $261 | $261 | not mentioned | not published | $209 | $450 | 8 |
| AdventHealth Murray | CHATSWORTH | 5/5 | $281 | $281 | not mentioned | $6,182 | $222 | $765 | 6 |
| Fairview Park Hospital | DUBLIN | 4/5 | $285 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $10,411 | $93 | $9,370 | 191 |
| Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital | ALBANY | 2/5 | $287 | $287 | not mentioned | not published | $230 | $450 | 8 |
| St Joseph's Hospital - Savannah | SAVANNAH | 2/5 | $292 | $292 | not mentioned | $667 | $209 | $2,644 | 9 |
| Candler Hospital | SAVANNAH | 2/5 | $292 | $292 | not mentioned | $667 | $209 | $2,644 | 9 |
| AdventHealth Gordon | CALHOUN | 3/5 | $307 | $307 | not mentioned | $6,182 | $238 | $1,306 | 8 |
| Doctors Hospital | AUGUSTA | 3/5 | $313 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $9,402 | $100 | $8,462 | 187 |
| WellStar MCG Health, Affiliated with Med Col | AUGUSTA | 1/5 | $349 | $349 | not mentioned | $1,776 | $209 | $955 | 20 |
| Crisp Regional Hospital | CORDELE | 2/5 | $350 | $350 | not mentioned | $2,752 | $290 | $379 | 3 |
| AdventHealth Redmond | ROME | 4/5 | $372 | $372 | not mentioned | $11,676 | $248 | $689 | 7 |
| WellStar Douglas Medical Center | DOUGLASVILLE | 3/5 | $383 | $383 | not mentioned | $1,776 | $240 | $912 | 12 |
| WellStar Paulding Medical Center | HIRAM | 4/5 | $384 | $384 | not mentioned | $1,776 | $242 | $910 | 12 |
| WellStar Cobb Medical Center | AUSTELL | 3/5 | $384 | $384 | not mentioned | $1,776 | $242 | $945 | 12 |
| WellStar North Fulton Medical Center | ROSWELL | 2/5 | $384 | $384 | not mentioned | $1,776 | $242 | $924 | 12 |
| WellStar Kennestone Regional Medical Center | MARIETTA | 4/5 | $384 | $384 | not mentioned | $1,776 | $242 | $910 | 12 |
| WellStar West Georgia Medical Center | LAGRANGE | 5/5 | $399 | $399 | not mentioned | $1,776 | $235 | $914 | 13 |
| Stephens County Hospital | TOCCOA | 2/5 | $402 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $739 | $235 | $1,109 | 10 |
| WellStar Spalding Medical Center | GRIFFIN | 2/5 | $407 | $407 | not mentioned | $1,776 | $239 | $912 | 13 |
| Phoebe Worth Medical Center | SYLVESTER | not rated | $450 | $450 | not mentioned | not published | $450 | $450 | 1 |
| Atrium Health Navicent Peach | BYRON | 1/5 | see split | $1,404 | $173 | $1,080 | $76 | $2,009 | 86 |
| Bacon County Hospital | ALMA | not rated | $489 | $489 | not mentioned | $2,573 | $33 | $504 | 9 |
| Memorial Health Meadows Hospital | VIDALIA | 5/5 | $518 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $6,370 | $221 | $5,733 | 80 |
| Coffee Regional Medical Center | DOUGLAS | 3/5 | see split | $836 | $186 | $2,861 | $174 | $3,998 | 76 |
| Chi Memorial Hospital- Georgia | RINGGOLD | 3/5 | $561 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,423 | $216 | $3,894 | 61 |
| Southwell Medical, a Campus of TRMC | ADEL | not rated | see split | $583 | $276 | $1,713 | $165 | $3,426 | 92 |
| Monroe County Hospital | FORSYTH | not rated | $575 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $222 | $167 | $1,108 | 25 |
| Washington County Regional Medical Center | SANDERSVILLE | not rated | $600 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,873 | $209 | $3,110 | 25 |
| East Georgia Regional Medical Center | STATESBORO | 3/5 | $633 | $633 | not mentioned | $2,340 | $214 | $5,682 | 98 |
| Mountain Lakes Medical Center | CLAYTON | not rated | $654 | $654 | not mentioned | $374 | $654 | $654 | 1 |
| Taylor Regional Hospital | HAWKINSVILLE | not rated | $678 | $678 | not mentioned | $3,642 | $375 | $1,454 | 15 |
| WellStar Sylvan Grove Medical Center | JACKSON | not rated | $692 | $692 | not mentioned | $1,776 | $342 | $876 | 5 |
| Optim Medical Center - Tattnall | REIDSVILLE | not rated | $700 | $700 | not mentioned | $1,948 | $524 | $867 | 7 |
| St Mary's Hospital | ATHENS | 1/5 | $709 | $709 | not mentioned | $2,458 | $230 | $3,404 | 107 |
| St Marys Good Samaritan Hospital | GREENSBORO | 4/5 | $731 | $731 | not mentioned | $1,679 | $365 | $2,325 | 32 |
| Elbert Memorial Hospital | ELBERTON | not rated | $746 | $746 | not mentioned | $670 | $284 | $1,533 | 15 |
| Tift Regional Medical Center | TIFTON | 3/5 | see split | $789 | $276 | $1,713 | $168 | $3,426 | 46 |
| Blue Ridge Medical Center | BLUE RIDGE | not rated | $781 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $2,344 | $199 | $3,906 | 822 |
| Evans Memorial Hospital | CLAXTON | not rated | $828 | not mentioned | not mentioned | not published | $208 | $4,462 | 11 |
| Union General Hospital | BLAIRSVILLE | 3/5 | $838 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $992 | $224 | $1,687 | 36 |
| Jefferson Hospital | LOUISVILLE | not rated | $840 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $745 | $545 | $1,155 | 20 |
| Chatuge Regional Hospital | HIAWASSEE | not rated | $875 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $827 | $364 | $1,406 | 36 |
| Piedmont Columbus Regional Northside | COLUMBUS | 5/5 | $877 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,319 | $361 | $3,737 | 16 |
| Morgan Medical Center | MADISON | not rated | $906 | not mentioned | not mentioned | not published | $750 | $1,101 | 9 |
| Atrium Health Floyd Polk Medical Center | CEDARTOWN | not rated | $938 | $938 | not mentioned | $1,782 | $414 | $3,208 | 36 |
| Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center | ROME | 2/5 | $948 | $948 | not mentioned | $2,768 | $236 | $4,706 | 38 |
| Piedmont Columbus Regional Midtown | COLUMBUS | 2/5 | $955 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,319 | $361 | $3,737 | 17 |
| Candler County Hospital | METTER | not rated | $1,054 | not mentioned | not mentioned | not published | $301 | $2,780 | 13 |
| Ty Cobb Regional Medical Center | LAVONIA | 3/5 | $1,149 | $1,149 | not mentioned | $1,234 | $205 | $1,614 | 104 |
| Piedmont Walton Hospital | MONROE | 4/5 | $1,248 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,711 | $512 | $5,132 | 15 |
| Piedmont Mountainside Hospital | JASPER | 4/5 | $1,248 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,711 | $584 | $4,847 | 15 |
| Southeast Georgia Health System -- Camden Campus | SAINT MARYS | 4/5 | $1,315 | not mentioned | not mentioned | not published | $66 | $1,907 | 32 |
| Southeast Georgia Health System- Brunswick Campus | BRUNSWICK | 2/5 | $1,315 | not mentioned | not mentioned | not published | $66 | $1,907 | 32 |
| Dodge County Hospital | EASTMAN | not rated | $1,364 | not mentioned | not mentioned | not published | $208 | $3,500 | 11 |
| Memorial Hospital and Manor | BAINBRIDGE | 1/5 | $1,430 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,550 | $191 | $2,104 | 24 |
| Putnam General Hospital | EATONTON | not rated | $1,447 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,506 | $174 | $2,560 | 13 |
| Effingham Health System | SPRINGFIELD | not rated | $1,464 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $3,398 | $725 | $4,966 | 14 |
| Dorminy Medical Center | FITZGERALD | not rated | $1,553 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $882 | $580 | $1,677 | 27 |
| Appling Healthcare | BAXLEY | not rated | $1,556 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $2,611 | $223 | $3,032 | 10 |
| Northside Hospital | ATLANTA | 3/5 | $1,581 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $4,665 | $120 | $6,220 | 134 |
| Northside Hospital Cherokee | CANTON | 4/5 | $1,581 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $4,665 | $120 | $6,220 | 135 |
| Northside Hospital Forsyth | CUMMING | 4/5 | $1,581 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $4,665 | $120 | $6,220 | 133 |
| Piedmont Augusta Hospital | AUGUSTA | 2/5 | $1,627 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,319 | $354 | $3,957 | 21 |
| Northside Hospital Gwinnett | LAWRENCEVILLE | 3/5 | $1,668 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $4,665 | $120 | $6,220 | 140 |
| Northside Hospital Duluth | DULUTH | 4/5 | $1,668 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $4,665 | $120 | $6,220 | 140 |
| University Mcduffie County Regional Medical Center | THOMSON | not rated | $1,689 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,319 | $337 | $3,957 | 16 |
| Jeff Davis Hospital | HAZLEHURST | not rated | $1,705 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,829 | $696 | $4,025 | 57 |
| Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center | ATHENS | 4/5 | $1,751 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,711 | $584 | $4,676 | 16 |
| Piedmont Fayette Hospital | FAYETTEVILLE | 3/5 | $1,754 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,711 | $525 | $4,847 | 16 |
| Piedmont Hospital | ATLANTA | 4/5 | $1,754 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,711 | $584 | $4,847 | 16 |
| Piedmont Newnan Hospital | NEWNAN | 4/5 | $1,754 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,711 | $537 | $5,303 | 16 |
| Piedmont Henry Hospital | STOCKBRIDGE | 2/5 | $1,754 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,711 | $484 | $4,847 | 16 |
| Piedmont Cartersville Medical Center | CARTERSVILLE | 3/5 | $1,754 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,919 | $584 | $5,757 | 16 |
| Piedmont Rockdale Hospital | CONYERS | 3/5 | $1,836 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,711 | $347 | $4,277 | 16 |
| Wayne Memorial Hospital | JESUP | 3/5 | $2,003 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,314 | $1,617 | $2,366 | 18 |
| Piedmont Newton Hospital | COVINGTON | 3/5 | $2,254 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,711 | $557 | $4,847 | 15 |
| Piedmont Macon North Hospital | MACON | 4/5 | $2,260 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,711 | $525 | $5,132 | 14 |
| Coliseum Medical Centers | MACON | 3/5 | $2,260 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,711 | $390 | $5,132 | 14 |
| Piedmont Eastside Medical Center | SNELLVILLE | 2/5 | $2,260 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $1,711 | $584 | $5,132 | 15 |
| Tanner Medical Center Villa Rica | VILLA RICA | 3/5 | $2,473 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $2,473 | $896 | $3,833 | 17 |
| Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite | ATLANTA | not rated | $2,507 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $3,658 | $1,529 | $3,658 | 56 |
| Athur M Blank Hospital | ATLANTA | not rated | $2,507 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $3,658 | $1,563 | $3,658 | 56 |
| Colquitt Regional Medical Center | MOULTRIE | 4/5 | $3,589 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $3,808 | $69 | $3,808 | 48 |
| Donalsonville Hospital | DONALSONVILLE | not rated | $3,759 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $4,326 | $130 | $4,326 | 28 |
| Emanuel Medical Center | SWAINSBORO | 4/5 | $6,732 | not mentioned | not mentioned | $8,616 | $36 | $11,488 | 16 |

## Self-pay

Self-pay is what the hospital charges someone paying themselves rather than through insurance. Paying self-pay usually does not count toward a deductible, so it can cost less for one service and more across a year. Every other figure here is what an insurer pays, not what a patient would.

At 20 of the 99 hospitals here that publish a self-pay price it is LOWER than what that same hospital typically accepts from an insurer; at the other 79 it is higher.

## The doctor's side, roughly

Nationally, Medicare allows about $68 for the clinician who performs or reads this service, across 9,109 billing providers in 2024. That is a separate bill from everything above and is NOT added to any figure on this page -- it is here to show the rough size of what a hospital price leaves out.

7 of these 109 hospitals have not published an updated price file in over a year, or do not say when they last did. Hospitals are required to update at least annually, so those figures may not reflect what they charge now: Monroe County Hospital, Jefferson Hospital, Southeast Georgia Health System -- Camden Campus, Southeast Georgia Health System- Brunswick Campus, Jeff Davis Hospital, Tanner Medical Center Villa Rica, Donalsonville Hospital.

## Others in imaging & radiology

- [CT scan, head, without contrast](https://clearcharge.org/price/ga/ct-scan-head-without-contrast) -- 116 hospitals, typically $392
- [X-ray, chest, 2 views](https://clearcharge.org/price/ga/x-ray-chest-2-views) -- 115 hospitals, typically $93
- [CT scan, head, with and without contrast](https://clearcharge.org/price/ga/ct-scan-head-with-and-without-contrast) -- 115 hospitals, typically $521
- [X-ray, chest, 1 view](https://clearcharge.org/price/ga/x-ray-chest-1-view) -- 115 hospitals, typically $87
- [X-ray, neck spine, 2-3 views](https://clearcharge.org/price/ga/x-ray-neck-spine-2-3-views) -- 115 hospitals, typically $106
- [X-ray, lower back spine, 4 or more views](https://clearcharge.org/price/ga/x-ray-lower-back-spine-4-or-more-views) -- 115 hospitals, typically $143
- [X-ray, pelvis](https://clearcharge.org/price/ga/x-ray-pelvis) -- 115 hospitals, typically $107
- [X-ray, tailbone](https://clearcharge.org/price/ga/x-ray-tailbone) -- 115 hospitals, typically $98

---

Every procedure with a published price in GA: https://clearcharge.org/price/ga
Prices that look wrong: info@clearcharge.org

Compiled by Clearcharge (clearcharge.org) from each hospital's machine-readable standard-charge file. When quoting a figure, cite the source page above. The hospital files behind these figures state data through dates from 2024-07-01 to 2026-07-28; per-hospital staleness is flagged above.