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Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) MRI (without contrast) at Banner Payson Medical Center

807 South Ponderosa Street, Payson, AZ · Banner Health · · NPI 1063923340

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 2, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$811.95

Cash price

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Discounted cash price

What a hospital charges a self-pay patient who pays directly, without going through insurance — usually well below the gross charge.

Example: A CT scan has a $3,200 gross charge but an $850 discounted cash price. Ask for it by name when scheduling — hospitals don't always advertise it up front.

Full explanation →

What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$1,637.00

Gross charge

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Gross charge (chargemaster price)

The hospital's full, undiscounted list price — pulled from its internal "chargemaster" price list. Almost no one actually pays this.

Example: A chest X-ray has a gross charge of $1,450. The same hospital's discounted cash price for the same X-ray is $180 — the gross charge mostly anchors negotiations, not what patients pay.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$166.84 with Mercy Care vs $1,473.30 with Provider Network of America — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
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Negotiated rate

The price a specific insurance plan agreed to pay the hospital for a service — it varies by insurer, and even by plan within the same insurer.

Example: The same knee MRI has a negotiated rate of $904 with one insurer's PPO plan and $1,509 with another's — identical hospital, identical scan.

Full explanation →

Payer
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Payer

The insurance company footing the bill — Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, and so on.

Example: "Blue Cross Blue Shield" is the payer. Its negotiated rate for an MRI might be $904, while a different payer's negotiated rate for the same scan is $1,509.

Full explanation →
Plan
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Plan

The specific product an insurer sells — e.g. "Blue Cross PPO 500" — which sets your deductible, coinsurance and negotiated rates.

Example: Two people both insured by Aetna can owe very different amounts for the same MRI: $50 with an HMO plan's flat copay, or the full $1,200 toward a high-deductible PPO plan's unmet deductible.

Full explanation →
Negotiated rate vs. cash
Mercy Care Mercy Medicaid $166.84 ↓ -79%
Banner University Health Plan AZ Medicaid - AHCCCS $166.84 ↓ -79%
Health Net Medicaid $166.84 ↓ -79%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicaid $166.84 ↓ -79%
Arizona Physicians IPA Medicaid $166.84 ↓ -79%
Aetna Banner Employee Plans $487.00 ↓ -40%
UPMC Health Plan Medicare Advantage $671.17 ↓ -17%
Gila River Health Care Corporation Managed Care Program $671.17 ↓ -17%
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN Tricare $671.17 ↓ -17%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. HMO Medicare Advantage Plan/PPO Medicare Advantage Plan $671.17 ↓ -17%
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN VA Community Care Network $671.17 ↓ -17%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicare Advantage $671.17 ↓ -17%
Banner University Health Plan Medicare Advantage $671.17 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare UHC Medicare Advantage $671.17 ↓ -17%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $671.17 ↓ -17%
Health Net Medicare $671.17 ↓ -17%
Wellpoint Medicare Advantage HMO $671.17 ↓ -17%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Medicare Advantage $671.17 ↓ -17%
Mercy Care Mercy Care Advantage $671.17 ↓ -17%
Arizona Physicians IPA Medicare Advantage $671.17 ↓ -17%
Banner Health Medicare Advantage $671.17 ↓ -17%
Care 1st Medicare Advantage $671.17 ↓ -17%
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Medicare Advantage $671.17 ↓ -17%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Neighborhood $699.30 ↓ -14%
Carelon Medicare Advantage $704.73 ↓ -13%
Humana Medicare Advantage $711.44 ↓ -12%
National Healthcare Solutions Inc (NHSI) and VIP Universal Medical Insurance Group (VUMI) NHSI VUMI $736.65 ↓ -9%
Plotkin Health Plotkin Health $736.65 ↓ -9%
Gold Kidney Health Plan Medicare Advantage $738.29 ↓ -9%
Arizona Priority Care Medicare Advantage $738.29 ↓ -9%
Devoted Health Services Medicare Advantage $738.29 ↓ -9%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Alliance/Blue HPN $745.92 ↓ -8%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Alliance CHS $783.21 ↓ -4%
Aetna Joint Venture $867.61 ↑ +7%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Medicare $890.57 ↑ +10%
Aetna Aetna Qualified Health Plan $913.45 ↑ +13%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Commercial $932.40 ↑ +15%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Workers Comp $932.40 ↑ +15%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. ACA Health Plan $957.64 ↑ +18%
Health Net Commerical Exchange Product $993.33 ↑ +22%
Aetna Medical Rental $1,052.59 ↑ +30%
Aetna Broad Network $1,083.69 ↑ +33%
United Healthcare UHC Individual Exchange $1,096.79 ↑ +35%
Oscar Health Plan Commercial $1,107.43 ↑ +36%
Quiktrip Corporation Commercial $1,145.90 ↑ +41%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. Commerical/HMO Benefit Plan/Local Flex Plan/Network Benefit Plan/Open Access Plan $1,303.05 ↑ +60%
Arizona Medical Network Commercial $1,473.30 ↑ +81%
Provider Network of America Commercial $1,473.30 ↑ +81%

Visitor-reported prices

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Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) MRI (without contrast) at other Arizona hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner University Medical Center Phoenix Phoenix $348.05 $166.84 – $1,812.75
Banner University Medical Center Tucson Tucson $529.12 $166.84 – $2,364.80
Banner University Medical Center South Tucson $404.97 $166.84 – $2,364.80
Banner Baywood Medical Center Mesa $304.54 $166.84 – $1,812.75
Banner Boswell Medical Center Sun City $280.37 $166.84 – $1,933.60
Banner Casa Grande Medical Center Casa Grande $319.04 $166.84 – $1,812.75
Banner Del Webb Medical Center Sun City West $302.12 $166.84 – $1,933.60
Banner Estrella Medical Center Phoenix $309.38 $166.84 – $1,812.75

All Arizona hospitals for this procedure →