Summary

9 facilities within 25 miles of Arlington publish prices for MRI Lumbar Spine with and without Contrast. Cash prices range from $1,479 to $11,570 — a 7.8x difference for an identical procedure. The Virginia average is $3,809.

Choosing the lowest-priced facility over the highest saves $10,090. The lowest-priced facility (Inova Fair Oaks Hospital) has a 5-star CMS quality rating — lower price does not mean lower quality.

$1,479 lowest
$11,570 highest
Best Value

Inova Fair Oaks Hospital

Fairfax, VA · Inova Health System · 11.8 mi

$1,479 Cash price
5/5 CMS rating
79.0% Patient satisfaction

Lowest price among hospitals rated 5 stars or above. Patient satisfaction: 79%. Cash price of $1,479 is below the statewide average of $3,809.

All facilities ranked by price

1
Inova Fair Oaks Hospital 5★ · 11.8 mi · Nonprofit
$1,479
2
Inova Loudoun Hospital 5★ · 0.5 mi · Nonprofit
$1,479
3
Inova Alexandria Hospital 4★ · 5.8 mi · Nonprofit
$1,479
4
Inova Mount Vernon Hospital 3★ · 5.8 mi · Nonprofit
$1,479
5
UVA Health Haymarket Medical Center 4★ · 0.5 mi · Nonprofit
$1,706
6
Novant Prince William Medical Center 4★ · 0.5 mi · Nonprofit
$2,102
7
Fauquier Hospital 3★ · 0.5 mi · For-profit
$3,251
8
Reston Hospital Center 3★ · 0.5 mi · Nonprofit
$11,567
9
Stonesprings Hospital Center 3★ · 0.5 mi · For-profit
$11,570
Complete facility data
# Facility Cash Price Gross Charge Markup CMS Stars Patient Rating Ownership
1 Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Inova Health System Fairfax, VA · 11.8 mi $1,479 $2,958 2.0x 5/5 79.0% Nonprofit
2 Inova Loudoun Hospital Inova Health System Leesburg, VA · 0.5 mi $1,479 $2,958 2.0x 5/5 76.0% Nonprofit
3 Inova Alexandria Hospital Inova Health System Alexandria, VA · 5.8 mi $1,479 $2,958 2.0x 4/5 70.0% Nonprofit
4 Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Inova Health System Alexandria, VA · 5.8 mi $1,479 $2,958 2.0x 3/5 67.0% Nonprofit
5 UVA Health Haymarket Medical Center UVA Health Haymarket, VA · 0.5 mi $1,706 $2,844 1.67x 4/5 76.0% Nonprofit
6 Novant Prince William Medical Center Novant Health Manassas, VA · 0.5 mi $2,102 $4,204 2.0x 4/5 64.0% Nonprofit
7 Fauquier Hospital Warrenton, VA · 0.5 mi $3,251 $8,127 2.5x 3/5 62.0% For-profit
8 Reston Hospital Center HCA Virginia Reston, VA · 0.5 mi $11,567 $11,567 1.0x 3/5 66.0% Nonprofit
9 Stonesprings Hospital Center Dulles, VA · 0.5 mi $11,570 $11,570 1.0x 3/5 76.0% For-profit

Insurance negotiated rates by facility

The rates below are what each insurer has contractually agreed to pay this hospital for MRI Lumbar Spine with and without Contrast. Your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your deductible status and copay structure.

UVA Health Haymarket Medical Center

Cash: $1,706
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
TRICARE UVAMC & UVACHM & UVAPW & UVAHM - Tricare $229 -$1,478
Medicaid UVAMC - Managed Medicare (Innovage) $315 -$1,391
Aetna UVAMC - Managed Medicare (various) $350 -$1,356
Cigna UVAMC - Managed Medicare (various) $350 -$1,356
Medicare UVAMC - Managed Medicare (various) $350 -$1,356
UnitedHealthcare UVAMC - Managed Medicare (various) $350 -$1,356
Anthem UVAMC - Managed Medicare (various) $350 -$1,356
Humana UVAMC - Managed Medicare (various) $350 -$1,356
Kaiser Permanente UVAMC - Managed Medicare (various) $350 -$1,356
Aetna UVAMC - Aetna (Comm. Book of Business) $557 -$1,150

27 additional plans not shown.

Novant Prince William Medical Center

Cash: $2,102
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
TRICARE UVAMC & UVACHM & UVAPW & UVAHM - Tricare $224 -$1,878
Cigna UVAPW - Managed Medicare (various) $361 -$1,741
Medicare UVAPW - Managed Medicare (various) $361 -$1,741
UnitedHealthcare UVAPW - Managed Medicare (various) $361 -$1,741
Anthem UVAPW - Managed Medicare (various) $361 -$1,741
Kaiser Permanente UVAPW - Managed Medicare (Kaiser) $361 -$1,741
Aetna UVAPW - Managed Medicare - Aetna $365 -$1,737
Humana UVAPW - Managed Medicare (Humana) $368 -$1,734
Anthem UVAPW - Anthem Exchange $781 -$1,321
Cigna UVAPW & UVAHM - Cigna (OAP) $1,085 -$1,017
Anthem UVAPW - Anthem (PPO PAR HMO) $1,116 -$986

19 additional plans not shown.

Reston Hospital Center

Cash: $11,567
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Anthem HIX $402 -$11,165
Anthem HPN $406 -$11,161
Anthem HMO $435 -$11,131
Anthem PPO $435 -$11,131
UnitedHealthcare AllPayerAppendix $828 -$10,738
Aetna Broad $1,915 -$9,652
Lifeworks MCR $2,198 -$9,369
Universal Healthcare Group MCR $2,545 -$9,022
UnitedHealthcare OptionsPPO $3,239 -$8,328
CareFirst HMO $5,063 -$6,504
CareFirst RPN $5,063 -$6,504
UnitedHealthcare GlobalBenefitPlan $5,205 -$6,362
Greenvbrier Sporting Club COMM $6,940 -$4,627
Virginia Health Network COMM $8,212 -$3,354
Virginia Health Network ULTRA $8,212 -$3,354

4 additional plans not shown.

Stonesprings Hospital Center

Cash: $11,570
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Anthem HIX $406 -$11,164
Anthem HPN $410 -$11,160
Anthem HMO $440 -$11,130
Anthem PPO $440 -$11,130
UnitedHealthcare AllPayerAppendix $828 -$10,742
Aetna Broad $1,915 -$9,655
Lifeworks MCR $2,198 -$9,372
UnitedHealthcare OptionsPPO $3,610 -$7,960
CareFirst HMO $5,063 -$6,507
CareFirst RPN $5,063 -$6,507
UnitedHealthcare GlobalBenefitPlan $5,206 -$6,363
Greenvbrier Sporting Club COMM $6,942 -$4,628
Virginia Health Network COMM $8,215 -$3,355
Virginia Health Network ULTRA $8,215 -$3,355
Virginia Health Network WC $8,215 -$3,355

3 additional plans not shown.

Before you call

The data in this report is from each hospital's publicly filed prices. Here's how to use it.

Confirm the price

Call the hospital's billing department and ask for a price estimate or Good Faith Estimate for MRI Lumbar Spine with and without Contrast (CPT 72158). Under federal law, they must provide this. Compare it to the published price in this report.

Ask about cash pay

If you haven't met your deductible, ask for the cash/self-pay rate. At many hospitals, the cash price is lower than the insurance-negotiated rate. You can see this in the insurance table above — some negotiated rates exceed the cash price.

Compare before you schedule

You are not required to use the facility your doctor referred you to. You can request a referral to any in-network facility. The same procedure, same quality — sometimes at a fraction of the price.

Ask about financial help

Most nonprofit hospitals in Virginia offer financial assistance to patients based on household income. This is separate from insurance — even insured patients can qualify. Ask billing for their Financial Assistance Policy.

Financial assistance by facility

Nonprofit hospitals are legally required to have financial assistance programs. Below is what we know about each facility's charitable care.

Facility Status Charity Care Provided How to Apply
Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Inova Loudoun Hospital Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Inova Alexandria Hospital Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
UVA Health Haymarket Medical Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Novant Prince William Medical Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Fauquier Hospital For-profit N/A (for-profit)
Reston Hospital Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Stonesprings Hospital Center For-profit N/A (for-profit)

What to do next

  1. Identify your top 2-3 facilities based on price, quality rating, and distance. The data in this report shows that lower price does not mean lower quality — check the star ratings.
  2. Call billing before you schedule. Confirm the published price. Ask for a Good Faith Estimate. Ask whether there's a prompt-pay or cash-pay discount beyond the listed rate.
  3. Check your deductible status. If you haven't met your deductible, compare the cash rate to what you'd owe through insurance. In some cases, paying cash is cheaper than using your plan.
  4. Apply for financial assistance if your household income is under $60,000-$125,000 (thresholds vary). Most eligible patients never apply because they don't know the program exists.
  5. Get everything in writing. Before your procedure, get a written price estimate. After, review the bill line by line. Roughly 80% of hospital bills contain errors (Becker's Hospital Review).

Data sources

Hospital prices
Published machine-readable files, required under CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule (45 CFR Part 180)
Quality ratings
CMS Hospital Compare, updated quarterly
Patient satisfaction
HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems)
Financial data
CMS Cost Reports (charity care, revenue) and IRS 990 filings (officer compensation)

This report is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Every price shown is a price a hospital published — not an estimate. Actual out-of-pocket costs depend on your insurance plan, deductible status, and clinical circumstances. Consult your healthcare provider and insurer before making decisions.