Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Minden, LA — inpatient
In Minden, LA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye as an inpatient: from $336.46 to $2,044.95, with a median of $1,190.71. The lowest listed price is at Springhill Medical Center — $854.25 less than the median here. Across Louisiana, the median is $1,394.40 at 24 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 Sep 1, 2026 and Sep 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 Minden, LA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springhill Medical Center lowest Springhill, LA · (318) 539-1000 MRI SPINE LUM WWO CON | $336.46 | $989.60 | $440.00–$742.20 | 66% | — source file |
| Minden Medical Center Minden, LA · (318) 377-2321 MRI LUMBAR SPINE WWO CON | $2,044.95 | $6,816.50 | $344.00–$6,816.50 | 70% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Minden Medical Center Minden, LA · (318) 377-2321 MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $2,044.95 | $6,816.50 | $344.00–$6,816.50 | 70% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $336.46, median $1,190.71, highest $2,044.95 — a 6.1× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $1,190.71 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 of 2 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.