Lower back MRI cost in Lafayette, LA
In Lafayette, LA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $1,279.95 to $1,716.00, with a median of $1,497.98. The lowest listed price is at Acadian Medical Center — $218.03 less than the median here. Across Louisiana, the median is $1,263.50 at 25 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 72148, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jun 9, 2026 and Jun 9, 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 Lafayette, LA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acadian Medical Center lowest Eunice, LA · (337) 580-7903 MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O CON | $1,279.95 | $4,266.50 | $340.40–$4,266.50 | 70% | Jun 9, 2026 source file |
| Acadian Medical Center lowest Eunice, LA · (337) 580-7903 MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE | $1,279.95 | $4,266.50 | $340.40–$4,266.50 | 70% | Jun 9, 2026 source file |
| Acadia St Landry Church Point, LA · (337) 684-5435 MRI LUMBAR W/O CONTRAS | $1,716.00 | $2,288.00 | $750.00 | 25% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,279.95, median $1,497.98, highest $1,716.00 — a 1.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $1,497.98. 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 1 of 2 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 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.