Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Omaha, NE — inpatient
In Omaha, NE-IA, 8 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye as an inpatient: from $1,455.30 to $2,537.22, with a median of $1,966.02. The lowest listed price is at Jennie Edmundson Memorial Hospital — $510.72 less than the median here. Across Nebraska, the median is $1,966.02 at 17 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 4 cities for code 72158, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 14, 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 Omaha, NE-IA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jennie Edmundson Memorial Hospital lowest Council Bluffs, IA · (712) 396-6000 MRI Exam | $1,455.30 | $4,851.00 | — | 70% | Feb 15, 2026 source file |
| Nebraska Methodist Hospital Omaha, NE · (402) 354-4000 MRI Exam | $1,746.36 | $4,851.00 | $2,425.50 | 64% | Feb 14, 2026 source file |
| Nebraska Methodist Hospital Omaha, NE · (402) 354-4000 MRI Exam | $1,746.36 | $4,851.00 | $2,425.50 | 64% | Feb 14, 2026 source file |
| CHI Health Bergan Mercy Omaha, NE · (402) 398-6020 HC MR LUMBAR W WO CONTRAST | $1,966.02 | $4,681.00 | $2,808.60–$3,978.85 | 58% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Alegent Creighton Health Papillion, NE · (402) 593-3000 HC MR LUMBAR W WO CONTRAST | $1,966.02 | $4,681.00 | $2,808.60–$3,978.85 | 58% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Alegent Creighton Health Omaha, NE · (402) 717-8000 HC MR LUMBAR W WO CONTRAST | $1,966.02 | $4,681.00 | $2,808.60–$3,978.85 | 58% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Alegent Health Immanuel Medical Center Omaha, NE · (402) 572-2121 HC MR LUMBAR W WO CONTRAST | $1,966.02 | $4,681.00 | $2,808.60–$3,978.85 | 58% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA · (712) 328-5000 HC MR LUMBAR W WO CONTRAST | $1,966.02 | $4,681.00 | $2,808.60–$3,978.85 | 58% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| CHI Health Bergan Mercy Omaha, NE · (402) 398-6020 HC MR LUMBAR W WO CONTRAST | $1,966.02 | $4,681.00 | $2,808.60–$3,978.85 | 58% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Alegent Health Community Memorial Hospital of Missouri Valley, Iowa Missouri Valley, IA · (712) 642-2784 HC MR LUMBAR W WO CONTRAST | $2,537.22 | $5,178.00 | $2,951.46–$5,074.44 | 51% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $1,455.30, median $1,966.02, highest $2,537.22 — a 1.7× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $1,966.02 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
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 7 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.