Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Fort Wayne, IN — inpatient
In Fort Wayne, IN, 7 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye as an inpatient: from $331.00 to $4,893.90, with a median of $1,152.72. The lowest listed price is at Parkview Whitley Hospital — $821.72 less than the median here. Across Indiana, the median is $1,527.41 at 61 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 3 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 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 Fort Wayne, IN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parkview Whitley Hospital lowest Columbia City, IN · (260) 248-9301 HC MRI-SPINE SURVEY LUM W/WO CON | $331.00 | $662.00 | — | 50% | — source file |
| Parkview Regional Medical Center Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 266-1195 HC MRI-SPINE SURVEY LUM W/WO CON | $347.50 | $695.00 | — | 50% | — source file |
| Parkview Ortho Hospital Fort Wayne, IN HC MRI-SPINE SURVEY LUM W/WO CON | $347.50 | $695.00 | — | 50% | — source file |
| Parkview Whitley Hospital Columbia City, IN · (260) 248-9301 HC MRI-LUMBAR SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $985.00 | $1,970.00 | — | 50% | — source file |
| Parkview Ortho Hospital Fort Wayne, IN HC MRI-LUMBAR SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $1,034.50 | $2,069.00 | — | 50% | — source file |
| Parkview Regional Medical Center Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 266-1195 HC MRI-LUMBAR SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $1,034.50 | $2,069.00 | — | 50% | — source file |
| Lutheran Hospital of Indiana Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 435-7001 72158 MR-LUMB SPINE WWO | $1,152.72 | $3,202.00 | $806.83–$2,881.80 | 64% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Lutheran Hospital of Indiana Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 435-7001 MRI Spine Lumbar WWO | $1,152.72 | $3,202.00 | $806.83–$2,881.80 | 64% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Dupont Hospital Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 416-3000 72158 MR-LUMB SPINE WWO | $1,440.90 | $3,202.00 | $950.99–$2,881.80 | 55% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Lutheran Musculoskeletal Center Fort Wayne, IN MRI Spine Lumbar WWO | $1,463.94 | $5,422.00 | $1,463.94–$5,422.00 | 73% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Dupont Hospital Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 416-3000 MRI Spine Lumbar WWO | $2,632.05 | $5,849.00 | $1,737.15–$5,264.10 | 55% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Bluffton Regional Medical Center Bluffton, IN · (260) 824-3210 MRI Spine Lumbar WWO | $4,893.90 | $8,898.00 | $2,660.50–$8,008.20 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $331.00, median $1,152.72, highest $4,893.90 — a 14.8× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $864.54 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 4 of 4 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.