Lower back MRI cost in Indianapolis, IN
In Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN, 19 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $538.00 to $3,475.20, with a median of $582.60. The lowest listed price is at Hendricks Regional Health — $44.60 less than the median here. Across Indiana, the median is $1,016.72 at 86 hospitals.
- The median here, $582.60, is 69% below the US median of $1,903.81.
- That is 2.4× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($243.77).
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 19 facilities across 12 cities for code 72148, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 2, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2026 and Oct 26, 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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hendricks Regional Health lowest Danville, IN · (317) 745-4451 HB MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONT File of May 20, 2026 · source file | $538.00 | $1,345.00 | $200.10–$1,291.20 | 60% |
| Franciscan St Francis Health - Carmel Carmel, IN · (317) 528-5000 MRI Spine Lumbar; W/O Contrast File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $552.78 | $2,393.00 | $246.65–$2,817.00 | 77% |
| Franciscan Health Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN · (317) 528-5000 MRI Spine Lumbar; W/O Contrast File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $552.78 | $2,393.00 | $227.92–$2,817.00 | 77% |
| Orthoindy Hospital Indianapolis, IN MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO/C File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $568.47 | $3,967.39 | $378.98–$3,451.63 | 86% |
| St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana Carmel, IN · (317) 583-5000 MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO/C+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $582.60 | $971.00 | $53.39–$700.00 | 40% |
| Carmel AmbSurg Carmel, IN MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO/C+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $582.60 | $971.00 | $35.16–$700.00 | 40% |
| St. Vincent Carmel Hospital Carmel, IN · (317) 582-7000 MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO/C+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $582.60 | $971.00 | $53.39–$700.00 | 40% |
| St. Vincent Fishers Hospital Fishers, IN · (317) 415-9000 MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO/C+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $582.60 | $971.00 | $53.39–$700.00 | 40% |
| Ascension St. Vincent Anderson Hospital Anderson, IN · (765) 649-2511 MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO/C+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $582.60 | $971.00 | $35.16–$700.00 | 40% |
| Endo Surgery Center Carmel, IN MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO/C+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $582.60 | $971.00 | $35.16–$700.00 | 40% |
| Naab Road Surgery Center Indianapolis, IN MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO/C+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $582.60 | $971.00 | $35.16–$700.00 | 40% |
| Franciscan Health Mooresville Mooresville, IN · (317) 831-1160 MRI Spine Lumbar; W/O Contrast File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $607.82 | $2,393.00 | $227.92–$2,817.00 | 75% |
| Major Hospital Shelbyville, IN · (317) 392-3211 MRI scan of lower spinal canal without contrast File of Oct 26, 2026 · source file | $879.78 | $2,838.00 | $117.33–$2,809.62 | 69% |
| Riverview Health Noblesville, IN · (317) 773-0760 MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONT File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,296.00 | $2,160.00 | — | 40% |
| Ascension St Vincent Mercy Elwood, IN · (765) 552-4743 MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO/C+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $1,791.60 | $2,986.00 | $53.39–$2,099.46 | 40% |
| Eskenazi Health Indianapolis, IN · (317) 880-4818 HC MRI Spine Lumbar W/O Cont+1 more line at this price File of Mar 1, 2026 · source file | $1,980.90 | $2,201.00 | $252.00–$2,201.00 | 10% |
| Hancock Regional Hospital Greenfield, IN · (317) 462-5544 MRI scan of lower spinal canal without contrast File of Oct 16, 2026 · source file | $2,272.00 | $2,840.00 | $117.33–$8,520.00 | 20% |
| Witham Memorial Hospital Lebanon, IN · (765) 485-8000 MRI scan of lower spinal canal without contrast File of Oct 26, 2026 · source file | $2,496.06 | $3,565.80 | $117.33–$8,914.50 | 30% |
| Johnson Memorial Hospital Franklin, IN · (317) 736-3300 MRI scan of lower spinal canal without contrast File of Oct 22, 2026 · source file | $3,475.20 | $4,344.00 | $117.33–$4,213.68 | 20% |
Outpatient: lowest $538.00, median $582.60, highest $3,475.20 — a 6.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 15 facilities here, median $582.60. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 18 of 18 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What lower back MRI is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Lower back MRI explained.