Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Bunkie, LA
In Bunkie, LA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye: from $1,600.00 to $1,600.00, with a median of $1,600.00. Across Louisiana, the median is $1,394.40 at 24 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility for code 72158, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital Service District No 1 Parish of Avoyelles State of Louisiana Bunkie, LA MRI LUMBAR W/WO | $1,600.00 | $1,600.00 | — | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,600.00, median $1,600.00, highest $1,600.00.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $1,600.00. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
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.