Cost analysis for CPT 72141 — Mri scan of upper spinal canal without contrast
Average Medicare Payment
$78.43
2023 data
Total Payments (2023)
$48.0M
Services (2023)
555.0K
Price Change (2014–2023)
-13.4%
| Year | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $90.52 | $52.3M | 533.6K | — |
| 2015 | $85.09 | $51.4M | 558.8K | -6.0% |
| 2016 | $86.53 | $54.7M | 580.6K | +1.7% |
| 2017 | $86.06 | $54.6M | 581.9K | -0.5% |
| 2018 | $86.96 | $56.3M | 592.2K | +1.0% |
| 2019 | $85.20 | $55.5M | 598.5K | -2.0% |
| 2020 | $85.72 | $44.3M | 474.7K | +0.6% |
| 2021 | $84.15 | $50.3M | 541.0K | -1.8% |
| 2022 | $80.99 | $47.8M | 535.8K | -3.8% |
| 2023 | $78.43 | $48.0M | 555.0K | -3.2% |
The most expensive state pays 2.1x more than the cheapest for this procedure. GU averages $121.62 vs AR at $58.73.
| State | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GU | $121.62 | $15.2K | 125 | 3 |
| NJ | $118.05 | $1.8M | 15.4K | 261 |
| AK | $116.31 | $160.4K | 1.4K | 37 |
| MD | $111.52 | $1.7M | 15.4K | 207 |
| NY | $107.96 | $4.3M | 39.7K | 629 |
| CA | $104.39 | $6.1M | 58.7K | 1.0K |
| HI | $103.06 | $61.3K | 595 | 18 |
| FL | $101.93 | $4.7M | 46.4K | 809 |
| NV | $99.29 | $487.3K | 4.9K | 99 |
| DC | $98.44 | $338.3K | 3.4K | 33 |
| PR | $98.09 | $35.8K | 365 | 14 |
| CT | $94.02 | $521.1K | 5.5K | 124 |
| AZ | $92.72 | $1.2M | 12.6K | 200 |
| TX | $86.67 | $3.7M | 42.6K | 726 |
| CO | $85.81 | $980.6K | 11.4K | 227 |
| DE | $85.19 | $265.2K | 3.1K | 44 |
| MA | $84.63 | $1.4M | 16.1K | 294 |
| RI | $84.10 | $134.3K | 1.6K | 33 |
| WY | $82.52 | $101.2K | 1.2K | 33 |
| AL | $81.34 | $800.7K | 9.8K | 249 |
| NM | $81.32 | $163.6K | 2.0K | 51 |
| VA | $81.24 | $1.4M | 16.9K | 282 |
| WA | $79.53 | $707.1K | 8.9K | 201 |
| SC | $79.17 | $905.7K | 11.4K | 230 |
| MN | $78.61 | $861.5K | 11.0K | 291 |
| LA | $78.57 | $626.9K | 8.0K | 197 |
| GA | $78.26 | $1.3M | 17.2K | 378 |
| PA | $75.79 | $1.4M | 18.7K | 424 |
| IL | $74.89 | $1.5M | 19.8K | 478 |
| TN | $72.12 | $967.9K | 13.4K | 303 |
| OR | $71.52 | $380.2K | 5.3K | 125 |
| NC | $71.21 | $1.3M | 18.6K | 418 |
| MI | $71.02 | $934.2K | 13.2K | 258 |
| UT | $70.92 | $247.4K | 3.5K | 103 |
| MS | $70.56 | $436.6K | 6.2K | 117 |
| IN | $70.31 | $561.0K | 8.0K | 208 |
| WV | $70.12 | $152.6K | 2.2K | 70 |
| OK | $69.65 | $546.0K | 7.8K | 155 |
| KY | $68.84 | $381.0K | 5.5K | 142 |
| OH | $67.75 | $1.2M | 18.2K | 335 |
| IA | $67.12 | $251.3K | 3.7K | 100 |
| MT | $66.58 | $125.6K | 1.9K | 44 |
| MO | $66.04 | $743.1K | 11.3K | 238 |
| KS | $65.96 | $312.6K | 4.7K | 107 |
| ME | $65.82 | $156.5K | 2.4K | 44 |
| NH | $65.21 | $169.9K | 2.6K | 79 |
| WI | $64.63 | $374.4K | 5.8K | 177 |
| NE | $62.20 | $209.4K | 3.4K | 79 |
| ID | $62.16 | $138.1K | 2.2K | 43 |
| VT | $62.13 | $51.8K | 833 | 24 |
| ND | $59.49 | $77.9K | 1.3K | 38 |
| Provider | Specialty | State | Payments | Services | Avg/Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway Diagnostic Imaging Llc | Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility (IDTF) | TX | $122.7K | 942 | $130.23 |
| Harold Tice | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $116.7K | 781 | $149.42 |
| Eliyahu Engelsohn | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $91.4K | 560 | $163.29 |
| Michael Singer | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $86.4K | 527 | $163.93 |
| Parham Farid | Diagnostic Radiology | DC | $77.9K | 520 | $149.84 |
| Bradley Foerster | Diagnostic Radiology | MI | $77.8K | 496 | $156.92 |
| Elizabeth Maltin | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $76.7K | 486 | $157.89 |
| Richard Silvergleid | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $76.0K | 487 | $156.06 |
| Mark Armstrong | Diagnostic Radiology | OH | $73.8K | 956 | $77.17 |
| Gary Tubman | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $73.7K | 445 | $165.66 |
| Alireza Namini | Diagnostic Radiology | CA | $62.6K | 434 | $144.30 |
| Laura Applegate | Diagnostic Radiology | CA | $60.0K | 519 | $115.70 |
| Heather Boo | Diagnostic Radiology | WV | $59.3K | 421 | $140.95 |
| David Kuo | Diagnostic Radiology | NV | $58.9K | 469 | $125.61 |
| Leslie Miller | Diagnostic Radiology | NJ | $58.0K | 377 | $153.95 |
| Jose Rodriguez | Diagnostic Radiology | FL | $56.9K | 456 | $124.75 |
| Damon Sacco | Diagnostic Radiology | CA | $56.7K | 732 | $77.50 |
| William Fowlkes | Diagnostic Radiology | MD | $56.3K | 375 | $150.09 |
| The Medical Imaging Partnership-Jax1 Llc | Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility (IDTF) | FL | $55.4K | 434 | $127.60 |
| Jessica Record | Diagnostic Radiology | MD | $54.9K | 386 | $142.10 |
The data suggests significant pricing inconsistencies for CPT 72141. With a 2.1x price gap between the most and least expensive states, geography plays an outsized role in what Medicare pays for this procedure.
While costs have decreased 13.4% since 2014, the wide state-by-state variation suggests the pricing formula may not adequately account for regional differences.
This analysis is based on publicly available CMS data and does not account for patient complexity, comorbidities, or facility-specific factors that may justify pricing differences.
Note: All data is from publicly available Medicare records. OpenMedicare is an independent journalism project not affiliated with CMS.