Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Allentown, PA — inpatient
In Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ, 1 hospital lists a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye as an inpatient: from $476.54 to $476.54, with a median of $476.54. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $2,915.10 at 64 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 72158, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hackettstown Medical Center Hackettstown, NJ · (908) 852-5100 MRI Spine Lumb W&WO | $476.54 | $16,310.00 | — | 97% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $476.54, median $476.54, highest $476.54.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $476.54 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
What it is
This MRI of the lumbar spine takes one set of pictures without contrast dye and a second set after the dye is injected into a vein. The dye helps tell scar tissue from a new disc problem after back surgery and can show infection, inflammation or tumors.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers both sets of images; the contrast agent may appear as a separate line on some bills. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.