Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Emporia, VA
In Emporia, VA, 1 hospital lists a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye: from $4,545.60 to $4,545.60, with a median of $4,545.60. Across Virginia, the median is $3,315.50 at 37 hospitals.
Cash prices at 1 facility 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 — and —.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bon Secours Southern Virginia Medical Center Emporia, VA · (434) 348-4400 HC MRI-Spine Lumbar WO & W Cont | $4,545.60 | $15,152.00 | — | 70% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $4,545.60, median $4,545.60, highest $4,545.60.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $4,545.60. 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.