Summary

5 facilities within 25 miles of High Point publish prices for MRI Lumbar Spine with and without Contrast. Cash prices range from $1,515 to $2,989 — a 2.0x difference for an identical procedure. The North Carolina average is $3,809.

$1,515 lowest
$2,989 highest
Best Value

Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center

Winston-Salem, VA · Novant Health · 14.4 mi

$1,515 Cash price
4/5 CMS rating
68.0% Patient satisfaction

Lowest price among hospitals rated 4 stars or above. Patient satisfaction: 68%. Cash price of $1,515 is below the statewide average of $3,809.

All facilities ranked by price

1
Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center 4★ · 14.4 mi · Nonprofit
$1,515
2
Lexington Memorial Hospital INC 3★ · 14.4 mi · Nonprofit
$2,255
3
High Point Regional Health System 2★ · 0.0 mi · Nonprofit
$2,389
4
Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center 3★ · 14.4 mi · Nonprofit
$2,989
Complete facility data
# Facility Cash Price Gross Charge Markup CMS Stars Patient Rating Ownership
1 Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center Novant Health Winston-Salem, NC · 14.4 mi $1,515 $2,525 1.67x 4/5 68.0% Nonprofit
2 Lexington Memorial Hospital INC Lexington, NC · 14.4 mi $2,255 $4,510 2.0x 3/5 72.0% Nonprofit
3 High Point Regional Health System High Point, NC · 0.0 mi $2,389 $4,778 2.0x 2/5 64.0% Nonprofit
4 Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center Novant Health Thomasville, NC · 14.4 mi $2,989 $4,982 1.67x 3/5 69.0% Nonprofit
5 Novant Health Medical Park Hospital Novant Health Winston-Salem, NC · 14.4 mi 4/5 92.0% Nonprofit

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.

Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center

Cash: $1,515
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Anthem Blue Medicare $338 -$1,177
Humana Medicare $338 -$1,177
Pace of the Southern Piedmont All Plans $338 -$1,177
UnitedHealthcare Medicare $338 -$1,177
Aetna Medicare $347 -$1,168
Cigna HealthSpring $349 -$1,166
Liberty Health Medicare HMO $355 -$1,160
Carolina Complete Medicaid $469 -$1,046
AmeriHealth Medicaid $478 -$1,037
Anthem Healthy Blue Medicaid $478 -$1,037
UnitedHealthcare Medicaid $478 -$1,037
Wellcare Medicaid $478 -$1,037
Anthem Advantage65 $621 -$894
Anthem BlueCare $621 -$894

39 additional plans not shown.

Lexington Memorial Hospital INC

Cash: $2,255
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Medicare $360 -$1,895
Cigna $360 -$1,895
HealthTeam Advantage $360 -$1,895
Medicaid $938 -$1,317
Blue Local Individual $1,285 -$970
Ambetter $1,524 -$731
Blue Local Group $1,723 -$532
Blue Value $1,930 -$325
Medcost Ultra $1,980 -$275
Anthem $2,136 -$119
UnitedHealthcare $2,250 -$5
DirectNet $2,665 +$410
Medcost $3,134 +$879
Healthgram Lexington Brands $3,247 +$992
Coventry Wellpath $3,373 +$1,118

7 additional plans not shown.

High Point Regional Health System

Cash: $2,389
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Cigna $386 -$2,003
Medicare $386 -$2,003
Revenue Code $612 -$1,777
Medicaid $744 -$1,645
Medcost Ultra $2,193 -$196
Direct Net $2,824 +$435
Aetna $3,010 +$621
Medcost $3,273 +$884
Anthem $3,391 +$1,002
Coventry WellPath Carolinas $3,822 +$1,433
Coventry WellPath (National) $4,061 +$1,672
Coventry First Health $4,444 +$2,055
UnitedHealthcare $4,468 +$2,079
Beech Street $4,539 +$2,150
Humana $4,539 +$2,150

1 additional plans not shown.

Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center

Cash: $2,989
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Anthem Blue Medicare $338 -$2,651
Humana Medicare $338 -$2,651
Pace of the Southern Piedmont All Plans $338 -$2,651
UnitedHealthcare Medicare $338 -$2,651
Aetna Medicare $347 -$2,642
Cigna HealthSpring $349 -$2,641
Liberty Health Medicare HMO $355 -$2,634
Anthem Advantage65 $621 -$2,368
Anthem BlueCare $621 -$2,368
Anthem BlueMedicare HMO $621 -$2,368
Anthem BlueMedicare PPO $621 -$2,368
Anthem BlueSelect $621 -$2,368
Anthem HMO $621 -$2,368
Anthem BlueOptions $701 -$2,288

38 additional plans not shown.

Novant Health Medical Park Hospital

Cash: N/A
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate
Anthem Blue Medicare $338
Humana Medicare $338
Pace of the Southern Piedmont All Plans $338
UnitedHealthcare Medicare $338
Aetna Medicare $347
Cigna HealthSpring $349
Liberty Health Medicare HMO $355
Anthem Advantage65 $621
Anthem BlueCare $621
Anthem BlueMedicare HMO $621
Anthem BlueMedicare PPO $621
Anthem BlueSelect $621
Anthem HMO $621
Anthem BlueOptions $701

9 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
Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Lexington Memorial Hospital INC Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
High Point Regional Health System Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Novant Health Medical Park Hospital Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application

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.