Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Louisville, KY
In Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, 7 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye: from $804.44 to $4,317.77, with a median of $3,694.20. The lowest listed price is at Norton Clark Hospital — $2,889.76 less than the median here. Across Kentucky, the median is $4,317.77 at 15 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 6 cities for code 72158, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 11, 2026 and Sep 18, 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 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norton Clark Hospital lowest Jeffersonville, IN · (812) 283-2147 HB MRI LUMBAR SPINE W&W/O CONT | $804.44 | $5,746.00 | $192.89–$5,027.75 | 86% | Jun 3, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB MRI LUMBAR SPINE W&W/O CONT | $1,262.80 | $6,314.00 | $184.77–$5,240.62 | 80% | Feb 13, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB MRI LUMBAR SPINE W&W/O CONT | $1,262.80 | $6,314.00 | $184.77–$5,240.62 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB MRI LUMBAR SPINE W&W/O CONT | $1,262.80 | $6,314.00 | $184.77–$5,240.62 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB MRI LUMBAR SPINE W&W/O CONT | $1,262.80 | $6,314.00 | $184.77–$5,366.90 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB MRI LUMBAR SPINE W&W/O CONT | $1,262.80 | $6,314.00 | $184.77–$5,240.62 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| Norton Hospitals Louisville, KY · (502) 629-8000 HB MRI LUMBAR SPINE W&W/O CONT | $1,262.80 | $6,314.00 | $184.77–$5,240.62 | 80% | Feb 11, 2026 source file |
| St. Vincent Salem Hospital Salem, IN · (812) 883-5881 MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO/WC | $2,501.40 | $4,169.00 | $82.27–$3,053.79 | 40% | — source file |
| St. Vincent Salem Hospital Salem, IN · (812) 883-5881 MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO/WC | $2,501.40 | $4,169.00 | $82.27–$3,053.79 | 40% | — source file |
| Harrison County Hospital Corydon, IN · (812) 738-4251 MRI scan of lower spinal canal before and after contrast | $3,694.20 | $6,157.00 | $192.89–$5,541.30 | 40% | Jul 16, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health LaGrange La Grange, KY · (502) 222-5388 MRI scan of lower spinal canal before and after contrast | $4,317.77 | $5,757.03 | $518.13–$11,514.06 | 25% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Floyd New Albany, IN · (812) 944-7701 MRI scan of lower spinal canal before and after contrast | $4,317.77 | $5,757.03 | $192.89–$8,635.55 | 25% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Louisville Louisville, KY · (502) 897-8100 MRI scan of lower spinal canal before and after contrast | $4,317.77 | $5,757.03 | $278.34–$11,514.06 | 25% | Sep 18, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $804.44, median $3,694.20, highest $4,317.77 — a 5.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $1,262.80. 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 7 of 7 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.