MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye in Winston-Salem, NC
In Winston-Salem, NC, 3 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $1,353.00 to $1,459.00, with a median of $1,427.50. The lowest listed price is at North Carolina Baptist Hospital — $74.50 less than the median here. Across North Carolina, the median is $2,013.08 at 37 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 3 cities for code 72148, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 24, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Oct 8, 2025 and Oct 21, 2025.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Winston-Salem, NC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina Baptist Hospital lowest Bermuda Run, NC HC MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $1,353.00 | $2,706.00 | 50% | Oct 21, 2025 source file |
| North Carolina Baptist Hospital Winston Salem, NC HC MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $1,427.50 | $2,855.00 | 50% | Oct 8, 2025 source file |
| Lexington Medical Center Lexington, NC HC MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $1,459.00 | $2,918.00 | 50% | Oct 8, 2025 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,353.00, median $1,427.50, highest $1,459.00 — a 1.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $1,427.50. 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.