Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Portland, OR
In Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA, 15 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye: from $1,857.75 to $4,281.55, with a median of $2,408.90. The lowest listed price is at Providence Milwaukie Hospital and 3 other hospitals — $551.15 less than the median here. Across Oregon, the median is $2,757.88 at 38 hospitals.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 9 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 Mar 23, 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence Milwaukie Hospital lowest Milwaukie, OR · (503) 513-8300 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE LIMITED | $1,857.75 | $2,477.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Newberg Medical Center lowest Newberg, OR · (503) 537-1555 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE LIMITED | $1,857.75 | $2,477.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center lowest Oregon City, OR · (503) 656-1631 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE LIMITED | $1,857.75 | $2,477.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Portland Medical Center lowest Portland, OR · (503) 215-1111 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $1,857.75 | $2,477.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Portland Medical Center lowest Portland, OR · (503) 215-1111 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE LIMITED | $1,857.75 | $2,477.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Portland Medical Center lowest Portland, OR · (503) 215-1111 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $1,857.75 | $2,477.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Portland Medical Center lowest Portland, OR · (503) 215-1111 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE LIMITED | $1,857.75 | $2,477.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Milwaukie Hospital lowest Milwaukie, OR · (503) 513-8300 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $1,857.75 | $2,477.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center lowest Oregon City, OR · (503) 656-1631 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $1,857.75 | $2,477.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Providence Newberg Medical Center lowest Newberg, OR · (503) 537-1555 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $1,857.75 | $2,477.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center Portland, OR · (503) 413-7682 HC MR SPINE LUMBAR WITH/WITHOUT CONTRAST | $2,408.90 | $3,706.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center Portland, OR · (503) 413-7682 HC MR SPINE LUMBAR WITH/WITHOUT CONTRAST | $2,408.90 | $3,706.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Legacy Emanuel Medical Center Portland, OR · (503) 413-2200 HC MR SPINE LUMBAR WITH/WITHOUT CONTRAST | $2,408.90 | $3,706.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Legacy Emanuel Medical Center Portland, OR · (503) 413-2200 HC MR SPINE LUMBAR WITH/WITHOUT CONTRAST | $2,408.90 | $3,706.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Legacy Emanuel Medical Center Portland, OR · (503) 413-2200 HC MR SPINE LUMBAR WITH/WITHOUT CONTRAST | $2,408.90 | $3,706.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center Gresham, OR · (503) 674-1122 HC MR SPINE LUMBAR WITH/WITHOUT CONTRAST | $2,408.90 | $3,706.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center Tualatin, OR · (503) 692-1212 HC MR SPINE LUMBAR WITH/WITHOUT CONTRAST | $2,408.90 | $3,706.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center Vancouver, WA · (360) 487-1000 HC MR SPINE LUMBAR WITH/WITHOUT CONTRAST | $2,648.75 | $4,075.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Oregon Health & Science University Portland, OR · (503) 494-9000 HB MR Spine Lumbar Wwo Cont | $3,093.35 | $4,759.00 | $313.41–$4,759.00 | 35% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Shriners Childrens - Portland Portland, OR · (541) 241-5090 MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $3,192.70 | $3,192.70 | $308.70–$1,350.58 | — | — source file |
| Tuality Healthcare Hillsboro, OR · (503) 681-1111 HB MR Spine Lumbar Wwo Cont | $3,600.35 | $5,539.00 | $250.52–$5,539.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center Clackamas, OR · (503) 652-2880 MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $3,825.00 | $4,500.00 | $592.00–$1,910.00 | 15% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Westside Hillsboro, OR · (971) 310-0100 MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $3,825.00 | $4,500.00 | $592.00–$1,910.00 | 15% | — source file |
| PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center Vancouver, WA · (360) 256-2000 MRI SCAN OF LOWER SPINAL CANAL BEFORE AND AFTER CONTRAST | $4,281.55 | $6,587.00 | $154.75–$1,255.20 | 35% | — source file |
| PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center Vancouver, WA · (360) 256-2000 MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $4,410.25 | $6,785.00 | $154.75–$1,255.20 | 35% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,857.75, median $2,408.90, highest $4,281.55 — a 2.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $2,408.90. 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 2 of 6 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.