Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Denver, CO — inpatient
In Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, 7 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye as an inpatient: from $1,278.35 to $3,182.40, with a median of $1,512.80. The lowest listed price is at Denver Health and Hospital Authority — $234.45 less than the median here. Across Colorado, the median is $1,512.80 at 12 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 5 cities for code 72158, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 30, 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Health and Hospital Authority lowest Denver, CO · (303) 436-4927 HC MRI L-SPINE/CANAL W/O,W CN | $1,278.35 | $3,652.41 | $1,252.78 | 65% | Apr 30, 2026 source file |
| AdventHealth Parker Parker, CO · (303) 269-4000 HC MRI, LUMBAR SPINE COMBO | $1,512.80 | $1,512.80 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| AdventHealth Castle Rock Castle Rock, CO · (720) 455-5000 HC MRI, LUMBAR SPINE COMBO | $1,512.80 | $1,512.80 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| AdventHealth Littleton Littleton, CO · (303) 730-8900 HC MRI, LUMBAR SPINE COMBO | $1,512.80 | $1,512.80 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| AdventHealth Porter Denver, CO · (303) 778-1955 HC MRI, LUMBAR SPINE COMBO | $1,512.80 | $1,512.80 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| National Jewish Health Denver, CO · (303) 388-4461 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $1,960.70 | $2,801.00 | $368.02–$2,240.80 | 30% | — source file |
| Childrens Hospital Colorado Aurora, CO · (720) 777-1234 HB=MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO/W CONTRAST | $3,182.40 | $4,896.00 | $734.40–$4,504.32 | 35% | Apr 17, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $1,278.35, median $1,512.80, highest $3,182.40 — a 2.5× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $1,512.80 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 3 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
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.