Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Minneapolis, MN — inpatient
In Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, 21 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye as an inpatient: from $393.90 to $4,467.00, with a median of $1,282.40. The lowest listed price is at Methodist Hospital — $888.50 less than the median here. Across Minnesota, the median is $1,861.38 at 47 hospitals.
Cash prices at 21 facilities across 18 cities for code 72158, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 29, 2026 and Jun 17, 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methodist Hospital lowest St. Louis Park, MN MRI lumbar spine with and without contrast | $393.90 | $1,515.00 | $217.32–$2,335.00 | 74% | — source file |
| Abbott Northwestern Hospital Minneapolis, MN · (612) 863-4000 HCHG RAD MRI SPINE LUMBAR WWO LIMITED | $685.49 | $1,428.10 | $955.68–$1,199.60 | 52% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Coon Rapids, MN · (762) 236-6000 HCHG RAD MRI SPINE LUMBAR WWO LIMITED | $685.49 | $1,428.10 | $955.68–$1,199.60 | 52% | Jun 17, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Coon Rapids, MN · (762) 236-6000 HCHG RAD MRI SPINE LUMBAR WWO | $912.00 | $1,900.00 | $1,271.48–$1,596.00 | 52% | Jun 17, 2026 source file |
| Abbott Northwestern Hospital Minneapolis, MN · (612) 863-4000 HCHG RAD MRI SPINE LUMBAR WWO | $912.00 | $1,900.00 | $1,271.48–$1,596.00 | 52% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| North Memorial Health Care Robbinsdale, MN · (763) 520-5200 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), spinal canal; lumbar | $1,040.82 | $1,975.00 | $281.50–$2,340.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Maple Grove Hospital Maple Grove, MN · (763) 581-1000 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), spinal canal; lumbar | $1,040.82 | $1,975.00 | $258.61–$2,340.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Regions Hospital St. Paul, MN · (651) 254-1616 MRI lumbar spine with and without contrast | $1,060.28 | $4,078.00 | $143.99–$3,058.50 | 74% | — source file |
| Fairview Lakes Health Services Wyoming, MN · (952) 892-2101 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO&W CONT | $1,162.10 | $2,898.00 | $1,509.86–$2,608.20 | 60% | Feb 5, 2026 source file |
| M Health Fairview University of Mn Medical Center Minneapolis, MN · (612) 624-1765 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO&W CONT | $1,162.10 | $2,898.00 | $1,509.86–$2,608.20 | 60% | Feb 6, 2026 source file |
| M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital Edina, MN · (952) 924-5000 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO&W CONT | $1,282.40 | $3,198.00 | $1,666.16–$2,878.20 | 60% | Feb 6, 2026 source file |
| HealthEast Woodwinds Hospital Woodbury, MN · (651) 232-2185 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO&W CONT | $1,282.40 | $3,198.00 | $1,666.16–$2,878.20 | 60% | Feb 5, 2026 source file |
| HealthEast St John's Hospital Maplewood, MN · (651) 232-7000 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO&W CONT | $1,282.40 | $3,198.00 | $1,666.16–$2,878.20 | 60% | Feb 5, 2026 source file |
| Fairview Bethesda Hospital St. Paul, MN HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO&W CONT | $1,282.40 | $3,198.00 | $855.15–$2,878.20 | 60% | Jan 29, 2026 source file |
| Fairview Northland Regional Hospital Princeton, MN · (952) 892-2101 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO&W CONT | $1,282.40 | $3,198.00 | $1,666.16–$2,878.20 | 60% | Jan 29, 2026 source file |
| M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital Burnsville, MN · (952) 892-2000 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO&W CONT | $1,359.15 | $3,198.00 | $1,666.16–$2,878.20 | 58% | Feb 6, 2026 source file |
| Hudson Hospital Hudson, WI · (715) 531-6000 MRI lumbar spine with and without contrast | $1,601.40 | $3,550.00 | $607.75–$3,550.00 | 55% | — source file |
| Westfields Hospital New Richmond, WI · (715) 246-2101 MRI lumbar spine with and without contrast | $1,778.93 | $3,382.00 | $607.75–$3,382.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Cambridge Medical Center Cambridge, MN · (763) 689-7700 HCHG RAD MRI SPINE LUMBAR WWO LIMITED | $1,861.38 | $3,323.90 | $1,476.81–$3,323.90 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| Allina Health Systems River Falls, WI HCHG RAD MRI SPINE LUMBAR WWO LIMITED | $1,861.38 | $3,323.90 | $2,036.55–$3,323.90 | 44% | Jun 15, 2026 source file |
| Buffalo Hospital Buffalo, MN · (763) 682-1212 HCHG RAD MRI SPINE LUMBAR WWO LIMITED | $1,861.38 | $3,323.90 | $1,476.81–$3,323.90 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| Lakeview Hospital Stillwater, MN · (651) 430-4509 MRI lumbar spine with and without contrast | $1,887.37 | $5,101.00 | $224.78–$4,590.90 | 63% | — source file |
| Allina Health Systems River Falls, WI HCHG RAD MRI SPINE LUMBAR WWO | $2,310.06 | $4,125.10 | $2,527.45–$4,125.10 | 44% | Jun 15, 2026 source file |
| Buffalo Hospital Buffalo, MN · (763) 682-1212 HCHG RAD MRI SPINE LUMBAR WWO | $2,310.06 | $4,125.10 | $1,832.78–$4,125.10 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| Cambridge Medical Center Cambridge, MN · (763) 689-7700 HCHG RAD MRI SPINE LUMBAR WWO | $2,310.06 | $4,125.10 | $1,832.78–$4,125.10 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| Childrens Health Care Minneapolis, MN · (612) 813-6112 MRI SPINE LUMBAR W/WO CONT | $4,467.00 | $4,467.00 | $1,509.85–$4,020.30 | — | May 7, 2026 source file |
| Childrens Health Care Minneapolis, MN · (612) 813-6112 MRI SPINE LUMBAR W/WO CONT- RAD | $4,467.00 | $4,467.00 | $1,509.85–$4,020.30 | — | May 7, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $393.90, median $1,282.40, highest $4,467.00 — a 11.3× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 21 facilities here, median $1,231.65 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 20 of 21 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 10 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.
3 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 72158 ($2,556.09). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital Edina, MNAS MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO&W CONT | $28.68 | file |
| HealthEast St John's Hospital Maplewood, MNAS MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO&W CONT | $72.95 | file |
| M Health Fairview University of Mn Medical Center Minneapolis, MNAS MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO&W CONT | $99.07 | file |