Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Atlanta, GA
In Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, 19 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye: from $2,370.03 to $6,444.00, with a median of $2,889.00. The lowest listed price is at Wellstar Paulding Hospital and 8 other hospitals — $518.97 less than the median here. Across Georgia, the median is $2,370.03 at 36 hospitals.
Cash prices at 19 facilities across 13 cities for code 72158, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 25, 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellstar Paulding Hospital lowest Hiram, GA · (470) 644-7000 Hc Mri Lumbar Spine W Plus W/O Contrast | $2,370.03 | $6,077.00 | — | 61% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Wellstar North Fulton Hospital lowest Roswell, GA · (770) 751-2500 Hc Mri Lumbar Spine W Plus W/O Contrast | $2,370.03 | $6,077.00 | — | 61% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Wellstar Kennestone Hospital lowest Marietta, GA · (770) 793-5000 Hc Mri Lumbar Spine W Plus W/O Contrast | $2,370.03 | $6,077.00 | — | 61% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Wellstar Douglas Hospital lowest Douglasville, GA · (770) 949-1500 Hc Mri Lumbar Spine W Plus W/O Contrast | $2,370.03 | $6,077.00 | — | 61% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Wellstar Cobb Hospital lowest Austell, GA · (770) 732-4000 Hc Mri Lumbar Spine W Plus W/O Contrast | $2,370.03 | $6,077.00 | — | 61% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Wellstar Roosevelt Long Term Acute Care At Warm Sp lowest Warm Springs, GA Hc Mri Lumbar Spine W Plus W/O Contrast | $2,370.03 | $6,077.00 | — | 61% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Wellstar Windy Hill Hospital lowest Marietta, GA Hc Mri Lumbar Spine W Plus W/O Contrast | $2,370.03 | $6,077.00 | — | 61% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Wellstar Sylvan Grove Hospital lowest Jackson, GA · (770) 775-7861 Hc Mri Lumbar Spine W Plus W/O Contrast | $2,370.03 | $6,077.00 | — | 61% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Wellstar Spalding Regional Hospital lowest Griffin, GA · (770) 228-2721 Hc Mri Lumbar Spine W Plus W/O Contrast | $2,370.03 | $6,077.00 | — | 61% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Shepherd Center Northwest Atlanta, GA HC MRI LUMB SPINE W/WO CNTRST | $2,889.00 | $5,778.00 | $1,733.40–$5,200.20 | 50% | — source file |
| Emory University Atlanta, GA · (404) 686-8500 Hc Mri, Lumbar Spine Combo - Mri Lumbar Spine W Wo Contrast | $3,812.00 | $3,812.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Saint Josephs Hospital of Atlanta Atlanta, GA · (678) 843-7001 Hc Mri, Lumbar Spine Combo - Mri Lumbar Spine W Wo Contrast | $3,812.00 | $3,812.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Emory Decatur Hospital Decatur, GA · (404) 501-1000 Hc Mri, Lumbar Spine Combo - Mri Lumbar Spine W Wo Contrast | $3,812.00 | $3,812.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Emory Hillandale Hospital Lithonia, GA · (404) 501-8040 Hc Mri, Lumbar Spine Combo - Mri Lumbar Spine W Wo Contrast | $3,812.00 | $3,812.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Emory Johns Creek Hospital Johns Creek, GA · (678) 474-7000 Hc Mri, Lumbar Spine Combo - Mri Lumbar Spine W Wo Contrast | $3,812.00 | $3,812.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Decatur Health Resource Decatur, GA Hc Mri, Lumbar Spine Combo - Mri Lumbar Spine W Wo Contrast | $3,812.00 | $3,812.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Es Rehabilitation Atlanta, GA Hc Mri, Lumbar Spine Combo - Mri Lumbar Spine W Wo Contrast | $3,812.00 | $3,812.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Crawford Long Hospital Atlanta, GA · (404) 686-2450 Hc Mri, Lumbar Spine Combo - Mri Lumbar Spine W Wo Contrast | $3,812.00 | $3,812.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Atlanta, GA · (404) 785-5252 MRI Scan of Spine Lumbar W/O & W/Contrast | $6,444.00 | $6,444.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Atlanta, GA · (404) 785-5252 MRI Scan of Spine Lumbar W/O & W/Contrast Limited | $6,444.00 | $6,444.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Atlanta, GA · (404) 785-5252 MRI Scan of Spine Lumbar W/O & W/Contrast Limited | $6,444.00 | $6,444.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Atlanta, GA · (404) 785-5252 MRI Scan of Spine Lumbar W/O & W/Contrast | $6,444.00 | $6,444.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Atlanta, GA · (404) 785-5252 MRI Scan of Spine Lumbar W/O & W/Contrast Limited | $6,444.00 | $6,444.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Atlanta, GA · (404) 785-5252 MRI Scan of Spine Lumbar W/O & W/Contrast | $6,444.00 | $6,444.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Atlanta, GA · (404) 785-5252 MRI Lumbar Spine W&WO Dye | $8,509.00 | $8,509.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Atlanta, GA · (404) 785-5252 MRI Scan of Spine Lumbar W/O & W/Contrast | $8,882.00 | $8,882.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Atlanta, GA · (404) 785-5252 MRI Scan of Spine Lumbar W/O & W/Contrast Limited | $8,882.00 | $8,882.00 | — | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $2,370.03, median $2,889.00, highest $6,444.00 — a 2.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 18 facilities here, median $2,629.52. 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 the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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
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.