Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Riverside, CA — inpatient
In Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA, 9 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye as an inpatient: from $1,684.80 to $11,323.54, with a median of $3,224.00. The lowest listed price is at St Mary Medical Center — $1,539.20 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $3,783.24 at 100 hospitals.
Cash prices at 9 facilities across 7 cities for code 72158, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 2, 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary Medical Center lowest Apple Valley, CA · (760) 242-2311 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $1,684.80 | $3,510.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center - Murrieta Murrieta, CA · (951) 290-4000 HC MRI L-SPINE W & WO CONTRAST | $2,723.40 | $6,052.00 | $929.00–$4,539.00 | 55% | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Moreno Valley Moreno Valley, CA · (951) 251-6530 MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $3,224.00 | $6,200.00 | $324.00–$965.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fontana Fontana, CA · (909) 427-5000 MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $3,224.00 | $6,200.00 | $324.00–$965.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Riverside Riverside, CA · (951) 353-2000 MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $3,224.00 | $6,200.00 | $324.00–$965.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Loma Linda University Childrens Hospital Loma Linda, CA · (909) 558-8000 HC MRI L-SPINE W & WO CONTRAST | $3,224.25 | $7,165.00 | $1,433.00–$6,090.25 | 55% | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| Palo Verde Hospital Blythe, CA · (760) 922-4115 MRI Spine Lumbar w/ + w/o Contrast | $4,326.75 | $5,769.00 | — | 25% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center Loma Linda, CA · (909) 558-4000 HC MRI L-SPINE W & WO CONTRAST | $5,555.70 | $12,346.00 | $2,469.20–$11,111.40 | 55% | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| Riverside University Medical Center Moreno Valley, CA · (951) 486-4000 HC MRI L-Spine W & WO Contrast | $11,323.54 | $11,323.54 | $221.73–$11,323.54 | — | — source file |
| Riverside University Medical Center Moreno Valley, CA · (951) 486-4000 HC MRI L-Spine W & WO Contrast | $11,323.54 | $11,323.54 | $221.73–$11,323.54 | — | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $1,684.80, median $3,224.00, highest $11,323.54 — a 6.7× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 14 facilities here, median $3,224.00 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 3 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 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.