Lower back MRI cost in Charlotte, NC
In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 17 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $705.24 to $5,794.50, with a median of $2,013.08. The lowest listed price is at Iredell Memorial Hospital — $1,307.84 less than the median here. Across North Carolina, the median is $2,227.59 at 60 hospitals.
Cash prices at 17 facilities across 14 cities for code 72148, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 1, 2025 and Sep 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iredell Memorial Hospital lowest Statesville, NC · (704) 878-5661 MRI Spine Lumbar w/o Contrast File of Dec 31, 2025 · source file | $705.24 | $2,612.00 | $598.41–$5,224.00 | 73% |
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center Chester, SC · (803) 581-3151 HB MRI L-SPINE W/O CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $827.50 | $1,655.00 | — | 50% |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 HC MRI LUMB SPINE WO CNTRST+2 more lines at this price source file | $1,271.43 | $4,709.00 | $413.45–$3,060.85 | 73% |
| Atrium Health Mercy, a facility of Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC HC MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Dec 4, 2025 · source file | $2,013.08 | $4,026.15 | $234.50–$3,704.06 | 50% |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL+1 more line at this price File of Dec 5, 2025 · source file | $2,013.08 | $4,026.15 | $234.50–$3,623.54 | 50% |
| Atrium Health Union Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Dec 4, 2025 · source file | $2,013.08 | $4,026.15 | $234.50–$3,824.84 | 50% |
| Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Dec 1, 2025 · source file | $2,013.08 | $4,026.15 | $231.30–$3,824.84 | 50% |
| Atrium Health University City Charlotte, NC · (704) 548-6000 HC MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Dec 5, 2025 · source file | $2,013.08 | $4,026.15 | $234.50–$3,905.37 | 50% |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Dec 5, 2025 · source file | $2,013.08 | $4,026.15 | $234.50–$3,704.06 | 50% |
| Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Dec 1, 2025 · source file | $2,013.08 | $4,026.15 | $234.50–$3,824.84 | 50% |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Dec 1, 2025 · source file | $2,013.08 | $4,026.15 | $234.50–$3,824.84 | 50% |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB MRI L-SPINE W/O CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,009.50 | $6,019.00 | — | 50% |
| CaroMont Regional Medical Center - Gastonia Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONT File of May 11, 2026 · source file | $5,275.00 | $5,275.00 | $243.77–$5,011.25 | — |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONT File of May 11, 2026 · source file | $5,275.00 | $5,275.00 | $243.77–$5,011.25 | — |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONT File of May 11, 2026 · source file | $5,275.00 | $5,275.00 | $243.77–$5,011.25 | — |
| Piedmont Medical Center Rock Hill, SC · (803) 329-1234 MRI SPINE LUMBAR W/O CM File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $5,794.50 | $7,726.00 | $1.00–$5,871.76 | 25% |
| Piedmont Medical Center Fort Mill, SC · (803) 329-1234 MRI SPINE LUMBAR W/O CM File of Apr 15, 2026 · source file | $5,794.50 | $7,726.00 | $1.00–$5,871.76 | 25% |
Outpatient: lowest $705.24, median $2,013.08, highest $5,794.50 — a 8.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $2,013.08. 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 12 of 15 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.