Lower back MRI with contrast cost in Maryland
In Maryland, 5 hospitals publish a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye: from $436.20 to $958.55, with a median of $826.38. The lowest price is at UPMC Western Maryland (Cumberland). The highest price is 2.2× the lowest.
Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 72158. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Sep 23, 2026.
Hospitals in Maryland, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPMC Western Maryland lowest Cumberland · Cumberland, MD-WV MRI L-SPINE, W & W/O CONTRAST | $436.20 | $727.00 | — source file |
| Mercy Medical Center Baltimore · Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD HC MRI, LUMBAR SPINE COMBO | $711.61 | $726.13 | — source file |
| TidalHealth Peninsula Salisbury · Salisbury, MD HC MRI-L-SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $826.38 | $843.24 | — source file |
| Atlantic General Hospital Berlin · Ocean Pines, MD Magnetic resonance (eg, proton) imaging, spinal canal and contents, without contrast material, followed by contrast material(s) and further sequences; lumbar | $956.12 | $956.12 | — source file |
| Greater Baltimore Medical Center Towson · Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD HC MRI-Lumbar Spine Pre/Post | $958.55 | $978.11 | — source file |
By metro area
Each metro page compares every listing, including prices for both sides of the body.
| Metro area | Hospitals | Lowest | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 2 | $711.61 | $835.08 |
| Cumberland, MD-WV | 1 | $436.20 | $436.20 |
| Ocean Pines, MD | 1 | $956.12 | $956.12 |
| Salisbury, MD | 1 | $826.38 | $826.38 |
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.
MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye in other states
- Alabama$3,949.76
- Alaska$3,428.10
- Arizona$1,098.94
- Arkansas$902.85
- California$3,783.24
- Colorado$1,512.80
- Connecticut$2,411.27
- Delaware$3,788.10
- Florida$3,659.37
- Georgia$2,370.03
- Hawaii$2,037.60
- Idaho$2,263.00
- Illinois$2,767.50
- Indiana$1,527.41
- Iowa$2,413.35
- Kansas$3,053.70
- Kentucky$4,317.77
- Louisiana$1,252.26
- Maine$2,591.25
- Massachusetts$3,158.25
- Michigan$2,638.00
- Minnesota$1,861.38
- Mississippi$1,753.29
- Missouri$2,496.33
- Montana$2,787.34
- Nebraska$1,966.02
- Nevada$2,926.43
- New Hampshire$2,814.63
- New Jersey$476.54
- New Mexico$2,105.08
- New York$1,557.00
- North Carolina$2,656.05
- North Dakota$2,884.67
- Ohio$2,123.55
- Oklahoma$1,537.48
- Oregon$2,757.88
- Pennsylvania$2,915.10
- Puerto Rico$985.00
- Rhode Island$1,823.70
- South Carolina$2,265.90
- South Dakota$4,207.60
- Tennessee$953.70
- Texas$3,196.33
- Utah$2,845.91
- Vermont$3,957.52
- Virginia$3,315.50
- Washington$3,206.98
- West Virginia$1,949.50
- Wisconsin$2,700.06
- Wyoming$1,841.03
Median cash price across the state's hospitals.