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Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) MRI (without contrast) at akron general

1 Akron General Avenue, Akron, OH · Cleveland Clinic · · NPI 1821035940

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jun 15, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$1,469.00

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.

$2,260.00

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.

$0.87 with AETNA vs $1,668.00 with AETNA — 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
AETNA Acop $0.87 ↓ -100%
AETNA Asa_Whirlpool_Peia $1.01 ↓ -100%
Zing Health Medicare Advantage $1.10 ↓ -100%
Aetna ALL PRODUCTS $1.65 ↓ -100%
Summacare Medicare Advantage Lower Level $42.98 ↓ -97%
Summacare Medicare Advantage Psych $50.47 ↓ -97%
Summacare Medicare Advantage CNA $56.20 ↓ -96%
Summacare Medicare Advantage MD $62.81 ↓ -96%
The Health Plan All Products $67.29 ↓ -95%
United Medicare Advantage $67.29 ↓ -95%
Anthem Medicare Advantage $67.29 ↓ -95%
Valor All Products $67.29 ↓ -95%
Optum Medicare Advantage Transplant $67.29 ↓ -95%
Humana Medicare Advantage HMO $67.29 ↓ -95%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $67.29 ↓ -95%
The Health Plan Medicare Advantage $67.29 ↓ -95%
CommuniCare Medicare Advantage $70.65 ↓ -95%
PPHP All Products $71.41 ↓ -95%
Anthem All Products Mid-Level Facility $94.85 ↓ -94%
Anthem All Products Mid-Level Non-Facility $94.85 ↓ -94%
MMO Medicare HMO & PPO $128.23 ↓ -91%
United HMO & PPO $134.14 ↓ -91%
Summacare Premier $134.88 ↓ -91%
Summacare Preferred $137.27 ↓ -91%
Oscar All Products $150.43 ↓ -90%
United All Products - Mid-Level $176.56 ↓ -88%
Optum Managed Medicaid Transplant $178.94 ↓ -88%
Buckeye Managed Medicaid $188.36 ↓ -87%
United All Products $194.06 ↓ -87%
Caresource Managed Medicaid $197.78 ↓ -87%
United Managed Medicaid $197.78 ↓ -87%
OPTUM Managed Medicaid Transplant $202.79 ↓ -86%
Molina Managed Medicaid $207.20 ↓ -86%
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $207.20 ↓ -86%
CARESOURCE Managed Medicaid $213.46 ↓ -85%
UNITED MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $223.34 ↓ -85%
OPTUM All Products VA $223.34 ↓ -85%
MMO Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO $223.34 ↓ -85%
HUMANA Medicare Advantage HMO $223.34 ↓ -85%
ANTHEM Managed Medicaid $224.13 ↓ -85%
UNITED Managed Medicaid $224.13 ↓ -85%
MOLINA Managed Medicaid $224.13 ↓ -85%
Summacare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $225.74 ↓ -85%
ANTHEM MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $225.74 ↓ -85%
UPMC MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $225.74 ↓ -85%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $225.74 ↓ -85%
Valor HMO & PPO $225.74 ↓ -85%
United BH Managed Medicaid $226.27 ↓ -85%
OHCP All Products $230.29 ↓ -84%
The Health Plan MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $231.16 ↓ -84%
CIGNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $232.51 ↓ -84%
AMERIHEALTH Managed Medicaid $234.81 ↓ -84%
Anthem All Products Physician $240.90 ↓ -84%
Anthem All Products Physician Facility $240.90 ↓ -84%
Anthem All Products Physician Non-Facility $240.90 ↓ -84%
Perennial Health MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $241.21 ↓ -84%
Perennial Health HMO I-SNP and HMO C-SNP $243.79 ↓ -83%
PPHP ALL PRODUCTS $248.31 ↓ -83%
Aultcare PPO/HMO $292.45 ↓ -80%
OMAS All Products $296.00 ↓ -80%
MMO NASCO $319.68 ↓ -78%
MMO SuperMed $319.68 ↓ -78%
ANTHEM HPN $339.46 ↓ -77%
Optum All Products Transplant $345.14 ↓ -77%
PHPHI All Products $355.20 ↓ -76%
MMO Traditional $414.40 ↓ -72%
GMS All Products $414.40 ↓ -72%
Consociate Health All Products $444.00 ↓ -70%
Aetna All Products First Health $444.00 ↓ -70%
OSCAR ALL PRODUCTS $471.71 ↓ -68%
Aetna Asa $473.60 ↓ -68%
Multiplan All Products $532.80 ↓ -64%
PHP ALL PRODUCTS $533.76 ↓ -64%
PHPHI ALL PRODUCTS $533.76 ↓ -64%
MMO ALL PRODUCTS $581.04 ↓ -60%
Aetna Qhp/Ifp $592.00 ↓ -60%
Summacare PREMIER $598.81 ↓ -59%
ANTHEM PPO/HMO $668.77 ↓ -54%
CC EHP ALL PRODUCTS $675.54 ↓ -54%
Amish Community Aid Plan ALL PRODUCTS $750.60 ↓ -49%
OHCP ALL PRODUCTS $810.65 ↓ -45%
OMAS ALL PRODUCTS $834.00 ↓ -43%
MMO TRADITIONAL $869.03 ↓ -41%
Ohio Healthy TRANSPLANT $900.72 ↓ -39%
ANTHEM TRADITIONAL $922.40 ↓ -37%
OPTUM All Products Transplant $944.09 ↓ -36%
AETNA International $976.47 ↓ -34%
The Health Plan HMO $1,000.80 ↓ -32%
UPMC ALL PRODUCTS $1,000.80 ↓ -32%
The Health Plan ASO Self-Funded $1,150.92 ↓ -22%
UNITED ALL PRODUCTS $1,165.03 ↓ -21%
Medical Benefit Corp Transplant SMCP $1,167.60 ↓ -21%
GMS ALL PRODUCTS $1,167.60 ↓ -21%
AETNA ALL PRODUCTS $1,251.00 ↓ -15%
Consociate Health ALL PRODUCTS $1,251.00 ↓ -15%
Evernorth (Cigna BH) All Products Psychiatrist $1,334.40 ↓ -9%
MULTIPLAN ALL PRODUCTS $1,501.20 ↑ +2%
Tertiary Care Network TRANSPLANT $1,501.20 ↑ +2%
FrontPath TRANSPLANT $1,501.20 ↑ +2%
Managed Care Services TRANSPLANT $1,501.20 ↑ +2%
AETNA Qhp/Ipf $1,668.00 ↑ +14%
United BH MEDICARE ADVANTAGE not published by hospital
United BH ALL PRODUCTS not published by hospital
Cigna All Products Mid-Level not published by hospital
CommuniCare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE not published by hospital
AETNA NAP not published by hospital
Aetna Acop not published by hospital
Cigna All Products Physician not published by hospital

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

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
euclid hospital Euclid $1,084.20 $0.87 – $1,501.20
cleveland clinic main campus Cleveland $1,469.00 $1.10 – $1,501.20
avon hospital Avon $1,084.20 $0.87 – $1,501.20
lutheran hospital Cleveland $1,084.20 $0.87 – $1,501.20
fairview hospital Cleveland $1,084.20 $0.87 – $1,501.20
hillcrest hospital Mayfield Heights $1,084.20 $0.87 – $1,501.20
lodi hospital Lodi $1,084.20 $241.72 – $1,501.20
marymount hospital Garfield Heights $1,084.20 $0.87 – $1,501.20

All Ohio hospitals for this procedure →