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Procedure price report · Magnetic resonance imaging

MRI of the lower back with and without contrast

CPT 72158the billing code this page is about

Magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar (lower) portion of the spine, with images taken both before and after contrast dye is injected.

Hospitals typically charge $2,669 cash for this outpatient procedure — the median across 3,251 hospitals that filed a usable cash price; the average of the middle 60% is $2,739. Most fall between $1,278 and $4,613 (20th–80th percentile).

Hospitals
3,251
States
50
Filings dated
Aug 2022 – Sep 2026
Computed
September 25, 2026
Prices checked
through September 24, 2026

Median: half of hospitals filed less, half more — and it is a price some hospital actually filed. Average of the middle 60%: the mean of the prices between the 20th and 80th percentiles. We never publish the plain average, the lowest or the highest price: the extremes in hospital price files are chargemaster artefacts, not prices anyone pays.

What hospitals charge, from cheapest to most expensive

Cash price percentiles, outpatient, across 3,251 hospitals. Each figure is a price a hospital filed. 10th: one in ten hospitals charges less; 25th: a quarter charge less; Median: half charge less; 75th: three quarters charge less; 90th: nine in ten charge less.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$773$1,496$2,669$4,185$6,764

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 8.8× what the cheapest tenth charges ($773 vs $6,764).

How the prices are spread

$495 – $667: 83 hospitals$495$667 – $899: 163 hospitals$899 – $1,211: 201 hospitals$899$1,211 – $1,633: 294 hospitals$1,633 – $2,201: 403 hospitals$1,633$2,201 – $2,966: 520 hospitals$2,966 – $3,998: 533 hospitals$2,966$3,998 – $5,389: 396 hospitals$5,389 – $7,263: 210 hospitals$5,389$7,263 – $9,790: 124 hospitals$7,263median $2,669price bands are equal on a log scale
Hospitals per price band (2,927 of 3,251 — the bands cover the 5th to 95th percentile)
FromToHospitals
$495$66783
$667$899163
$899$1,211201
$1,211$1,633294
$1,633$2,201403
$2,201$2,966520
$2,966$3,998533
$3,998$5,389396
$5,389$7,263210
$7,263$9,790124

Against Medicare

Medicare pays (OPPS 2026, national rate)$356
Median cash price$2,669
Cash as a multiple of Medicare7.5×

The Medicare figure is the national unadjusted OPPS rate for this code — what Medicare itself pays a hospital before local wage adjustment. It is a benchmark, not a price anyone is charged.

By state

The median cash price in each state, against the national median of $2,669.

Alaska: median $3,925 across 14 hospitalsAK$3,925Maine: median $1,601 across 24 hospitalsME$1,601Vermont: median $4,697 across 11 hospitalsVT$4,697New Hampshire: median $3,292 across 21 hospitalsNH$3,292Washington: median $2,649 across 70 hospitalsWA$2,649Idaho: median $2,263 across 22 hospitalsID$2,263Montana: median $2,656 across 16 hospitalsMT$2,656North Dakota: median $2,922 across 31 hospitalsND$2,922Minnesota: median $2,219 across 100 hospitalsMN$2,219Illinois: median $3,983 across 135 hospitalsIL$3,983Wisconsin: median $2,849 across 107 hospitalsWI$2,849Michigan: median $2,417 across 82 hospitalsMI$2,417New York: median $1,440 across 112 hospitalsNY$1,440Massachusetts: median $3,158 across 51 hospitalsMA$3,158Oregon: median $2,672 across 46 hospitalsOR$2,672Nevada: median $2,485 across 18 hospitalsNV$2,485Wyoming: median $2,013 across 12 hospitalsWY$2,013South Dakota: median $4,780 across 36 hospitalsSD$4,780Iowa: median $3,307 across 86 hospitalsIA$3,307Indiana: median $1,291 across 95 hospitalsIN$1,291Ohio: median $2,270 across 127 hospitalsOH$2,270Pennsylvania: median $2,604 across 116 hospitalsPA$2,604New Jersey: median $796 across 57 hospitalsNJ$796Connecticut: median $2,411 across 19 hospitalsCT$2,411Rhode Island: median $2,127 across 10 hospitalsRI$2,127California: median $3,970 across 218 hospitalsCA$3,970Utah: median $4,138 across 41 hospitalsUT$4,138Colorado: median $2,710 across 64 hospitalsCO$2,710Nebraska: median $3,945 across 83 hospitalsNE$3,945Missouri: median $2,474 across 76 hospitalsMO$2,474Kentucky: median $2,274 across 66 hospitalsKY$2,274West Virginia: median $1,972 across 40 hospitalsWV$1,972Virginia: median $3,316 across 71 hospitalsVA$3,316Maryland: median $917 across 37 hospitalsMD$917Delaware: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureDEArizona: median $2,321 across 49 hospitalsAZ$2,321New Mexico: median $2,738 across 29 hospitalsNM$2,738Kansas: median $1,716 across 84 hospitalsKS$1,716Arkansas: median $865 across 33 hospitalsAR$865Tennessee: median $1,325 across 78 hospitalsTN$1,325North Carolina: median $2,767 across 87 hospitalsNC$2,767South Carolina: median $2,821 across 52 hospitalsSC$2,821Oklahoma: median $1,537 across 61 hospitalsOK$1,537Louisiana: median $1,418 across 53 hospitalsLA$1,418Mississippi: median $1,727 across 49 hospitalsMS$1,727Alabama: median $2,416 across 37 hospitalsAL$2,416Georgia: median $2,114 across 103 hospitalsGA$2,114Hawaii: median $2,123 across 12 hospitalsHI$2,123Texas: median $3,196 across 233 hospitalsTX$3,196Florida: median $4,846 across 171 hospitalsFL$4,846
Cash price by state, most expensive first. National median $2,669. A state needs at least 10 hospitals with a usable price to show a figure.
StateHospitalsMedianvs national20th–80th
Florida FL171$4,846+82%$1,968 – $11,491
South Dakota SD36$4,780+79%$4,319 – $5,663
Vermont VT11$4,697+76%$2,744 – $6,065
Utah UT41$4,138+55%$2,768 – $4,233
Illinois IL135$3,983+49%$1,867 – $5,680
California CA218$3,970+49%$1,967 – $8,441
Nebraska NE83$3,945+48%$2,345 – $4,627
Alaska AK14$3,925+47%$2,643 – $5,782
Virginia VA71$3,316+24%$2,102 – $5,238
Iowa IA86$3,307+24%$2,485 – $4,440
New Hampshire NH21$3,292+23%$2,327 – $8,731
Texas TX233$3,196+20%$1,779 – $6,877
Massachusetts MA51$3,158+18%$1,737 – $4,616
North Dakota ND31$2,922+9%$2,427 – $3,924
Wisconsin WI107$2,849+7%$1,080 – $3,510
South Carolina SC52$2,821+6%$2,200 – $4,663
North Carolina NC87$2,767+4%$2,058 – $4,239
New Mexico NM29$2,738+3%$1,518 – $3,544
Colorado CO64$2,710+2%$1,513 – $3,475
Oregon OR46$2,6720%$2,369 – $3,825
Montana MT16$2,6560%$2,190 – $3,552
Washington WA70$2,649−1%$1,543 – $3,848
Pennsylvania PA116$2,604−2%$701 – $5,810
Nevada NV18$2,485−7%$1,857 – $5,342
Missouri MO76$2,474−7%$1,405 – $3,485
Michigan MI82$2,417−9%$1,652 – $4,935
Alabama AL37$2,416−9%$1,565 – $4,975
Connecticut CT19$2,411−10%$1,479 – $2,798
Arizona AZ49$2,321−13%$522 – $6,915
Kentucky KY66$2,274−15%$1,434 – $4,318
Ohio OH127$2,270−15%$1,574 – $3,272
Idaho ID22$2,263−15%$1,857 – $3,061
Minnesota MN100$2,219−17%$1,232 – $3,555
Rhode Island RI10$2,127−20%$762 – $3,800
Hawaii HI12$2,123−20%$1,448 – $2,610
Georgia GA103$2,114−21%$1,320 – $3,898
Wyoming WY12$2,013−25%$1,201 – $4,349
West Virginia WV40$1,972−26%$1,691 – $3,755
Mississippi MS49$1,727−35%$1,094 – $2,158
Kansas KS84$1,716−36%$779 – $3,300
Maine ME24$1,601−40%$697 – $3,314
Oklahoma OK61$1,537−42%$1,117 – $2,893
New York NY112$1,440−46%$507 – $4,517
Louisiana LA53$1,418−47%$794 – $2,385
Tennessee TN78$1,325−50%$669 – $2,850
Indiana IN95$1,291−52%$616 – $2,952
Maryland MD37$917−66%$563 – $1,267
Arkansas AR33$865−68%$584 – $2,420
New Jersey NJ57$796−70%$421 – $1,699
Delaware DE6not enough hospitals filed a usable price

Hospitals like yours

The same distribution cut by the kind of hospital. Hospital type and ownership come from CMS; a hospital counts as part of a system when its price file is shared with at least one other hospital under the same brand. The national median is $2,669.

Cash price by hospital segment. A segment needs at least 20 hospitals to show a figure.
SegmentHospitalsMedian20th–80th
Hospital type
Acute care2,328$2,556$1,172 – $4,818
Children’s64$4,486$2,723 – $8,614
Critical access849$2,837$1,513 – $4,239
Ownership
For-profit475$3,364$1,461 – $11,268
Government569$2,479$1,235 – $3,990
Non-profit2,197$2,594$1,250 – $4,324
System affiliation
Part of a system2,676$2,734$1,302 – $4,712
Independent575$2,411$1,080 – $3,925

Cash price vs list price

Median list price (chargemaster)$4,546
Median cash price$2,669
Cash as a share of list, median hospital65%

At the typical hospital, asking for the cash price cuts the list price by about 35%. The share is the median of each hospital’s own cash ÷ list ratio, over hospitals that filed both — not the ratio of the two medians above.

The same procedure, inpatient

2,209 hospitals filed a usable inpatient cash price for this code. The median is $2,756 and the average of the middle 60% is $2,817; most fall between $1,434 and $4,609.

Cash price percentiles, inpatient, across 2,209 hospitals. Each figure is a price a hospital filed. 10th: one in ten hospitals charges less; 25th: a quarter charge less; Median: half charge less; 75th: three quarters charge less; 90th: nine in ten charge less.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$867$1,630$2,756$4,185$6,152

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 7.1× what the cheapest tenth charges ($867 vs $6,152).

Of the 2,452 hospitals that filed this code inpatient, 2,209 gave a usable cash price; 137 carried a plausibility flag, 0 filed a number their own filing marks as not a price, 0 gave an estimate, and 106 a list price only.

How complete is this

3,251 of the 3,956 hospitals with a price file in our corpus (82%) filed a usable outpatient cash price for this code, and those are the hospitals every figure on this page is computed from.

What the 3,594 hospitals that filed this code at all gave us
Usable cash price — counted3,251
Cash price carrying a plausibility flag — shown on the compare tool, excluded here221
A number the filing itself marks as not a price (a placeholder, a ratio) — excluded0
An estimate rather than a filed cash price — excluded5
A list price only, no cash figure — excluded117
Hospitals that filed this code3,594

Sections not shown for this setting

  • Since our last snapshot: there is no earlier snapshot at least 90 days older than this one yet.

We last checked these hospitals’ price files for changes between September 4, 2026 and September 24, 2026; the figures were computed September 25, 2026 from filings loaded through September 24, 2026. The percentiles and averages use only the “counted” row.

Related procedures

Part of the Magnetic resonance imaging family.

Hospitals file this code under descriptions such as MRI Spinal Canal Lumbar W/O & W/Contr Matrl|PROFESSIONAL COMPONENT.

Method

Source
The machine-readable price files every U.S. hospital is required by CMS to publish, parsed per hospital. Nothing is surveyed, sampled or modelled.
What counts
One cash (self-pay) price per hospital for this code and setting. A hospital’s own filing can rule its number out — a placeholder, a “not applicable” note, a list price standing in for cash — and our plausibility checks can flag a price far below what every other hospital files. Both kinds are disclosed above and excluded from the statistics; on the compare tool a flagged price is still shown.
Statistics
Percentiles are discrete: each is a price some hospital filed. The average is the mean of the prices between the 20th and 80th percentiles. We never publish the plain mean, the minimum or the maximum. A state needs 10 hospitals and a segment 20 to show a figure; otherwise the row shows its count and no number. Medicare is the national unadjusted OPPS rate where one exists.
Names
Procedure names on these pages are our own plain-language titles, not the AMA’s copyrighted CPT descriptors. The code is the identity.

The full rules — sources, statistics, thresholds, limitations — are on the methodology page.

Download this page’s figures: JSON · CSV. Aggregates only — the per-hospital prices are on the compare tool.

Cite: HospitalRates.com, “MRI of the lower back with and without contrast (CPT 72158) — cash price report,” computed September 25, 2026. https://hospitalrates.com/procedures/cpt-72158-mri-of-the-lower-back-with-and-without-contrast