Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Traverse City, MI — inpatient
In Traverse City, MI, 3 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye as an inpatient: from $3,476.50 to $4,397.90, with a median of $3,740.85. The lowest listed price is at Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital — $264.35 less than the median here. Across Michigan, the median is $2,638.00 at 57 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 3 cities for code 72158, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 17, 2026 and Apr 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 Traverse City, MI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital lowest Frankfort, MI · (231) 352-2200 MR Exams | $3,476.50 | $4,090.00 | $2,969.34–$3,885.50 | 15% | Apr 17, 2026 source file |
| Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital lowest Frankfort, MI · (231) 352-2200 MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/ + W/O CONTRAST | $3,476.50 | $4,090.00 | $2,969.34–$3,885.50 | 15% | Apr 17, 2026 source file |
| Munson Medical Center Traverse City, MI · (231) 935-5000 MR Exams | $3,740.85 | $4,401.00 | $852.12–$4,312.98 | 15% | Apr 17, 2026 source file |
| Munson Medical Center Traverse City, MI · (231) 935-5000 MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/ + W/O CONTRAST | $3,740.85 | $4,401.00 | $852.12–$4,312.98 | 15% | Apr 17, 2026 source file |
| Kalkaska Memorial Health Center Kalkaska, MI · (231) 258-7500 MR Exams | $4,397.90 | $5,174.00 | $852.12–$4,915.30 | 15% | Apr 17, 2026 source file |
| Kalkaska Memorial Health Center Kalkaska, MI · (231) 258-7500 MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/ + W/O CONTRAST | $4,397.90 | $5,174.00 | $852.12–$4,915.30 | 15% | Apr 17, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $3,476.50, median $3,740.85, highest $4,397.90 — a 1.3× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $3,740.85 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 3 of 3 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.