MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye in Columbus, OH
In Columbus, OH, 17 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $1,236.30 to $2,430.00, with a median of $1,309.10. The lowest listed price is at Mount Carmel East.
Cash prices at 17 facilities across 11 cities for code 72148, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Oct 22, 2025 and Apr 1, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Columbus, OH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Carmel East lowest Columbus, OH HC MRI Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast | $1,236.30 | $1,902.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Diley Ridge Medical Center Canal Winchester, OH HC MRI Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast | $1,236.30 | $1,902.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel St Ann's Westerville, OH HC MRI Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast | $1,236.30 | $1,902.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel Grove City Grove City, OH HC MRI Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast | $1,236.30 | $1,902.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel Dublin Dublin, OH HC MRI Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast | $1,236.30 | $1,902.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital New Albany, OH HC MRI Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast | $1,236.30 | $1,902.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Grant Medical Center Columbus, OH Hc Mri Lumbar Spine Wo Contrast | $1,309.10 | $2,014.00 | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Pickerington Methodist Hospital Pickerington, OH Hc Mri Lumbar Spine Wo Contrast | $1,309.10 | $2,014.00 | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Riverside Methodist Hospital Columbus, OH Hc Mri Lumbar Spine Wo Contrast | $1,309.10 | $2,014.00 | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Grove City Methodist Grove City, OH Hc Mri Lumbar Spine Wo Contrast | $1,309.10 | $2,014.00 | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Doctors Hospital Columbus, OH Hc Mri Lumbar Spine Wo Contrast | $1,309.10 | $2,014.00 | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Dublin Methodist Hospital Dublin, OH Hc Mri Lumbar Spine Wo Contrast | $1,309.10 | $2,014.00 | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Grady Memorial Hospital Delaware, OH Hc Mri Lumbar Spine Wo Contrast | $1,311.70 | $2,018.00 | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital, Inc. Brookfield, WI HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,341.96 | $2,532.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital, Inc. Brookfield, WI HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,341.96 | $2,532.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Berger Hospital Circleville, OH Hc Mri Lumbar Spine Wo Contrast | $1,482.00 | $2,280.00 | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Morrow County Hospital Mount Gilead, OH MRI scan of lower spinal canal without contrast | $2,096.84 | $3,225.90 | 35% | Oct 22, 2025 source file |
| Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus, OH SPINE, LUMBAR, W/O CONTRAST | $2,430.00 | $2,700.00 | 10% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,236.30, median $1,309.10, highest $2,430.00 — a 2.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $1,309.10. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
What it is
An MRI of the lower back uses a magnet and radio waves to make detailed pictures of the lumbar spine, including discs, nerves and the spinal canal. It is commonly ordered for back pain that spreads down the leg, numbness or weakness. No contrast dye is used.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the scan. The radiologist's interpretation is often billed separately.