Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Los Angeles, CA — inpatient
In Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, 28 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye as an inpatient: from $1,776.00 to $10,690.78, with a median of $3,224.00. The lowest listed price is at UCI Health - Placentia Linda and 3 other hospitals — $1,448.00 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $3,783.24 at 100 hospitals.
Cash prices at 28 facilities across 19 cities for code 72158, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Nov 26, 2025 and Jul 27, 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 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCI Health - Placentia Linda lowest Orange, CA · (714) 456-7890 MRI SPINE LUMBAR WO/W CM | $1,776.00 | $4,440.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UCI Health - Los Alamitos lowest Orange, CA · (714) 456-7890 MRI SPINE LUMBAR WO/W CM | $1,776.00 | $4,440.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UCI Health-Orange lowest Orange, CA · (714) 456-7890 HB MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $1,776.00 | $4,440.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UCI Health - Fountain Valley lowest Orange, CA · (714) 456-7890 MRI SPINE LUMBAR WO/W CM | $1,776.00 | $4,440.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Little Co of Mary Medical Center San Pedro San Pedro, CA · (310) 832-3311 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $2,599.45 | $7,427.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance Torrance, CA · (310) 540-7676 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $2,599.45 | $7,427.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| USC Arcadia Hospital Arcadia, CA · (626) 898-8000 MRI-L/SP CANAL/CONTENT W/WO | $2,748.55 | $7,853.00 | $5,889.75–$7,853.00 | 65% | Jul 27, 2026 source file |
| Saint John's Health Center Santa Monica, CA · (310) 829-5511 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $2,895.55 | $8,273.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Cedars Sinai Tarzana Medical Center Tarzana, CA · (818) 881-0800 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $3,054.10 | $8,726.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Orange County - Irvine Irvine, CA MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $3,224.00 | $6,200.00 | $324.00–$965.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Woodland Hills Woodland Hills, CA · (818) 719-3800 MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $3,224.00 | $6,200.00 | $324.00–$965.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Panorama City Panorama City, CA · (818) 375-2000 MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $3,224.00 | $6,200.00 | $324.00–$965.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Downey Downey, CA · (562) 461-6007 MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $3,224.00 | $6,200.00 | $324.00–$965.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Orange County - Anaheim Anaheim, CA · (714) 279-4000 MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $3,224.00 | $6,200.00 | $324.00–$965.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South Bay Harbor City, CA · (310) 325-5111 MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $3,224.00 | $6,200.00 | $324.00–$965.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Baldwin Park Baldwin Park, CA · (626) 851-1011 MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $3,224.00 | $6,200.00 | $324.00–$965.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - West la Los Angeles, CA · (213) 857-2201 MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $3,224.00 | $6,200.00 | $324.00–$965.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA · (323) 783-4011 MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $3,224.00 | $6,200.00 | $324.00–$965.00 | 48% | — source file |
| UCI Health - Lakewood Orange, CA · (714) 456-7890 MRI SPINE LUMBAR WO/W CM | $3,369.60 | $8,424.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center Burbank, CA · (818) 843-5111 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $4,162.20 | $11,892.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mission Hospital Regional Med Center Mission Viejo, CA · (949) 364-1400 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $4,679.52 | $9,749.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Mission Hills, CA · (818) 365-8051 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $4,739.70 | $13,542.00 | — | 65% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Cedars-Sinai Marina Hospital Marina del Rey, CA · (310) 823-8911 HB MRI L-SPINE WO/W CONT | $5,161.07 | $7,940.10 | $444.69–$9,712.00 | 35% | Nov 26, 2025 source file |
| St Joseph Hospital of Orange Orange, CA · (714) 633-9111 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $5,662.08 | $11,796.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| USC Kenneth Norris Jr Cancer Hospital Los Angeles, CA Mri Spinal Canal Lumbar W/O + W/Contr Matrl | $7,622.00 | $7,622.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| St Jude Hospital Fullerton, CA · (714) 992-3000 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $9,328.80 | $19,435.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Keck Hospital of USC Los Angeles, CA · (323) 442-8656 Mri Spinal Canal Lumbar W/O + W/Contr Matrl | $10,593.25 | $10,593.25 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA · (310) 423-5000 HB MRI L-SPINE WO/W CONT | $10,690.78 | $16,447.36 | $444.69–$14,761.00 | 35% | Nov 26, 2025 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $1,776.00, median $3,224.00, highest $10,690.78 — a 6.0× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 31 facilities here, median $3,157.44 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 3 of 12 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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.