Prices at 40 hospitals in Virginia, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,986 — 53% above the US median ($1,948), roughly 15.6× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dickenson Community Hospital | Clintwood, VA | $594 | $801 | — | 109 min | — |
| Lee County Community Hospital | Pennington Gap, VA | $594 | $596 | — | 112 min | 15.2% |
| Russell County Hospital | Lebanon, VA | $605 | $317 | ★ 4/5 | 117 min | 15.8% |
| Smyth County Community Hospital | Marion, VA | $605 | $317 | ★ 3/5 | 142 min | 14.7% |
| Johnston Memorial Hospital | Abingdon, VA | $605 | $317 | ★ 3/5 | 186 min | 15.1% |
| Lonesome Pine Hospital | Big Stone Gap, VA | $605 | $319 | ★ 4/5 | 132 min | 15.7% |
| Bon Secours Southampton Memorial Hospital | Franklin, VA | $731 | — | ★ 3/5 | 151 min | 15.2% |
| Carilion Medical Center | Roanoke, VA | $1,252 | $1,821 | ★ 3/5 | 260 min | 14.1% |
| Carilion New River Valley Medical Center | Christiansburg, VA | $1,252 | $1,821 | ★ 4/5 | 204 min | 14.9% |
| Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital | Rocky Mount, VA | $1,252 | $1,821 | ★ 4/5 | 191 min | 14.2% |
| Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital | Lexington, VA | $1,252 | $1,821 | ★ 3/5 | 203 min | 15.4% |
| Carilion Giles Community Hospital | Pearisburg, VA | $1,258 | $1,830 | ★ 4/5 | 138 min | 15.3% |
| Rappahannock General Hospital | Kilmarnock, VA | $1,353 | — | ★ 4/5 | 134 min | 14.8% |
| Bon Secours Richmond Community Hospital | Richmond, VA | $1,719 | — | — | 116 min | 14.9% |
| Bon Secours St Francis Medical Center | Midlothian, VA | $1,719 | $233 | ★ 3/5 | 132 min | 14.8% |
| Fauquier Hospital | Warrenton, VA | $1,761 | $2,627 | ★ 3/5 | 163 min | 15.0% |
| Mary Washington Hospital | Fredericksburg, VA | $1,845 | $387 | ★ 3/5 | 171 min | 15.4% |
| Stafford Hospital, Llc | Stafford, VA | $1,845 | $378 | ★ 4/5 | 181 min | 15.8% |
| Carilion Tazewell Community Hospital | Tazewell, VA | $2,017 | $2,933 | — | 138 min | 15.2% |
| Twin County Regional Hospital | Galax, VA | $2,986 | $688 | ★ 2/5 | 204 min | 14.6% |
| Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center | Portsmouth, VA | $3,105 | — | ★ 3/5 | 167 min | 14.8% |
| Mary Immaculate Hospital | Newport News, VA | $3,105 | — | ★ 4/5 | 173 min | 14.8% |
| Bon Secours Harbour View Medical Center | Suffolk, VA | $3,105 | — | — | — | — |
| Sovah Health Danville | Danville, VA | $3,318 | — | ★ 2/5 | 200 min | 14.4% |
| Wythe County Community Hospital | Wytheville, VA | $3,658 | $736 | ★ 3/5 | 158 min | 13.9% |
CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated June 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.
Price comparison (median)
Typical cash price here is $2,986 — about 15.6× the Medicare rate ($192). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($383).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $5,175 list price could save about $2,189 (42%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
By city
MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast cost in other states
All MRI of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast prices (national) → · All hospitals in Virginia →