healthcosts.net

Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) MRI (with and without contrast) at Banner University Medical Center Phoenix

1111 East Mcdowell Road, Phoenix, AZ · Banner Health · · NPI 1841224870

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

$522.14

Cash price

?

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.

$3,626.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$266.89 with Banner University Health Plan vs $2,719.50 with Provider Network of America — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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
Banner University Health Plan AZ Medicaid - AHCCCS $266.89 ↓ -49%
Banner University Health Plan University Family Plan $266.89 ↓ -49%
Health Net Medicaid $266.89 ↓ -49%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicaid $266.89 ↓ -49%
Arizona Physicians IPA Medicaid $266.89 ↓ -49%
Mercy Care Medicaid $266.89 ↓ -49%
UPMC Health Plan Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -27%
Gila River Health Care Corporation Managed Care Program $380.64 ↓ -27%
Banner University Health Plan University Care Advantage $380.64 ↓ -27%
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN VA Community Care Network $380.64 ↓ -27%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. PPO Medicare Advantage Plan $380.64 ↓ -27%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -27%
Banner University Health Plan Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -27%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -27%
Health Net Medicare $380.64 ↓ -27%
Wellpoint Medicare Advantage HMO $380.64 ↓ -27%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -27%
Mercy Care Mercy Care Advantage $380.64 ↓ -27%
Arizona Physicians IPA Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -27%
Banner Health Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -27%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. HMO Medicare Advantage Plan $380.64 ↓ -27%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -27%
Care 1st Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -27%
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Medicare Advantage $380.64 ↓ -27%
Humana Medicare Advantage $392.06 ↓ -25%
Carelon Medicare Advantage $399.67 ↓ -23%
Devoted Health Services Medicare Advantage $399.67 ↓ -23%
Gold Kidney Health Plan Medicare Advantage $418.70 ↓ -20%
Arizona Priority Care Alignment Health Plans Medicare Advantage/Eternal Health Plan Medicare/SCAN Health Plan Medicare $418.70 ↓ -20%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Medicare Supplemental Senior Preferred $458.77 ↓ -12%
Aetna Banner Employee Plans $487.00 ↓ -7%
NaphCare Federal $513.86 ↓ -2%
Aetna Qualified Health Plan $517.67 ↓ -1%
United Healthcare Individual Exchange $532.90 ↑ +2%
Health Net Commerical Exchange Product $563.35 ↑ +8%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. ACA Health Plan $570.96 ↑ +9%
Oscar Health Plan Commercial $628.06 ↑ +20%
Aetna Joint Venture $990.00 ↑ +90%
Aetna Designated Group $1,052.00 ↑ +101%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Neighborhood $1,179.21 ↑ +126%
Aetna Broad Network $1,238.00 ↑ +137%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Alliance/Blue HPN $1,257.82 ↑ +141%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Alliance CHS $1,320.70 ↑ +153%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. LocalFlex $1,346.00 ↑ +158%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. Commercial $1,496.00 ↑ +187%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Commercial $1,572.27 ↑ +201%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Workers Comp $1,572.27 ↑ +201%
National Healthcare Solutions Inc (NHSI) and VIP Universal Medical Insurance Group (VUMI) NHSI VUMI $1,631.70 ↑ +213%
Plotkin Health Plotkin Health $1,631.70 ↑ +213%
Aetna Medical Rental $1,910.90 ↑ +266%
Quiktrip Corporation Commercial $1,958.04 ↑ +275%
Arizona Medical Network Commercial $2,538.20 ↑ +386%
Provider Network of America Commercial $2,719.50 ↑ +421%
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN Tricare not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

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

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Estrella Medical Center Phoenix $464.13 $266.89 – $2,719.50
Banner University Medical Center Tucson Tucson $793.69 $266.89 – $3,547.20
Banner University Medical Center South Tucson $607.46 $266.89 – $3,547.20
Banner Baywood Medical Center Mesa $456.88 $266.89 – $2,719.50
Banner Boswell Medical Center Sun City $420.62 $266.89 – $2,900.80
Banner Casa Grande Medical Center Casa Grande $478.63 $266.89 – $2,719.50
Banner Del Webb Medical Center Sun City West $453.25 $266.89 – $2,900.80
Banner Desert Medical Center Mesa $688.94 $266.89 – $2,719.50

All Arizona hospitals for this procedure →