Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Philadelphia, PA — inpatient
In Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, 14 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye as an inpatient: from $2,090.18 to $6,115.20, with a median of $3,049.38. The lowest listed price is at Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill and 3 other hospitals — $959.20 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $2,915.10 at 64 hospitals.
Cash prices at 14 facilities across 13 cities for code 72158, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 24, 2026 and Apr 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill lowest Mullica Hill, NJ MRI L-SPINE W/WO CONT | $2,090.18 | $2,090.18 | — | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Medical Center Elmer lowest Elmer, NJ · (856) 363-1000 MRI L-SPINE W/WO CONT | $2,090.18 | $2,090.18 | — | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Health Center Woodbury lowest Woodbury, NJ MRI L-SPINE W/WO CONT | $2,090.18 | $2,090.18 | — | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Inspira Medical Center Mannington lowest Salem, NJ MRI L-SPINE W/WO CONT | $2,090.18 | $2,090.18 | — | — | Mar 24, 2026 source file |
| Nemours Children's Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 651-4000 MRI Lumbar W/&W/O Cont | $2,472.00 | $2,472.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Nemours Children's Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 651-4000 MRI Lumbar W/&W/O Cont | $2,472.00 | $2,472.00 | — | — | — source file |
| St. Francis Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 HC MRI Lumbar Spine W/O & W/Contrast | $2,496.00 | $3,840.00 | $363.91–$3,686.40 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St Mary Medical Center Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 HC MRI Lumbar Spine W/O & W/Contrast | $2,768.35 | $4,259.00 | $300.88–$4,046.05 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Riddle Memorial Hospital Media, PA · (610) 566-9400 Hc Mri Lumbar Spine W/Wo Contrast | $3,330.40 | $8,326.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Lankenau Medical Center Wynnewood, PA · (610) 645-2000 Hc Mri Lumbar Spine W/Wo Contrast | $3,330.40 | $8,326.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Paoli Hospital Paoli, PA · (610) 648-1000 Hc Mri Lumbar Spine W/Wo Contrast | $3,330.40 | $8,326.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Bryn Mawr Hospital Bryn Mawr, PA · (610) 526-3000 Hc Mri Lumbar Spine W/Wo Contrast | $3,330.40 | $8,326.00 | — | 60% | — source file |
| Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital Malvern, PA Hc Mri Lumbar Spine W/Wo Contrast | $3,330.40 | $8,326.00 | — | 60% | — source file |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital Darby, PA · (215) 237-4000 HC MRI Lumbar Spine W/O & W/Contrast | $4,592.25 | $7,065.00 | $286.74–$7,065.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Nazareth Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 335-6000 HC MRI Lumbar Spine W/O & W/Contrast | $6,115.20 | $9,408.00 | $300.88–$9,219.84 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $2,090.18, median $3,049.38, highest $6,115.20 — a 2.9× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 22 facilities here, median $2,484.00 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 4 of 4 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.