Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Little Rock, AR — inpatient
In Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR, 2 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye as an inpatient: from $1,386.92 to $1,400.01, with a median of $1,393.47. The lowest listed price is at St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center — $6.55 less than the median here. Across Arkansas, the median is $1,586.68 at 20 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 72158, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 28, 2026 and Feb 28, 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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center lowest Sherwood, AR · (501) 552-7100 MRI SPINE LUMBAR W/WO | $1,386.92 | $5,456.00 | — | 75% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| St Vincent Infirmary Medical Center Little Rock, AR · (501) 552-3000 MRI SPINE LUMBAR WO W | $1,400.01 | $5,456.00 | — | 74% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $1,386.92, median $1,393.47, highest $1,400.01.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $1,386.92 — 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.