MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 6 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $835.00 to $2,000.00, with a median of $835.00. The lowest listed price is at Inova Alexandria Hospital.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 5 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 Apr 1, 2026 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inova Alexandria Hospital lowest Alexandria, VA HC MRI LUMB SPINE WO IV CONT | $835.00 | $1,670.00 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Fairfax, VA HC MRI LUMB SPINE WO IV CONT | $835.00 | $1,670.00 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church, VA HC MRI LUMB SPINE WO IV CONT | $835.00 | $1,670.00 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg, VA HC MRI LUMB SPINE WO IV CONT | $835.00 | $1,670.00 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria, VA HC MRI LUMB SPINE WO IV CONT | $835.00 | $1,670.00 | 50% | — source file |
| Potomac Hospital Corporation of Prince William Woodbridge, VA Chgr-Mr Lumbar Spine W / O Contrast | $2,000.00 | $4,000.00 | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $835.00, median $835.00, highest $2,000.00 — a 2.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $835.00. 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.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 72148 ($1,646.40). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Jefferson Medical Center Ranson, WVMRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE | $77.00 | file |