Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Helena, MT
In Helena, MT, 1 hospital lists a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye: from $2,189.80 to $2,189.80, with a median of $2,189.80. Across Montana, the median is $2,787.34 at 8 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 72158, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Helena, MT.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Peter's Health lowest Helena, MT · (406) 442-2480 MAGNETIC RESONANCE TECHNOLOGY (MRT) - MRI - SPINAL CORD/SPINE) | $2,189.80 | $2,576.23 | $382.49 | 15% | — source file |
| St. Peter's Health Helena, MT · (406) 442-2480 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $2,204.56 | $2,593.60 | $357.13 | 15% | — source file |
| St. Peter's Health Helena, MT · (406) 442-2480 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/WO CONTRAST -LIMITED | $2,210.92 | $2,601.08 | $357.13 | 15% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $2,189.80, median $2,189.80, highest $2,189.80.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $2,204.56. 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 not 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.