Summary

6 facilities within 25 miles of Roanoke publish prices for MRI Lumbar Spine with and without Contrast. Cash prices range from $3,594 to $6,391 — a 1.8x difference for an identical procedure. The Virginia average is $3,809.

$3,594 lowest
$6,391 highest
Best Value

Carilion New River Valley Medical Center

Christiansburg, VA · Carilion Clinic · 0.1 mi

$3,606 Cash price
4/5 CMS rating
69.0% Patient satisfaction

Lowest price among hospitals rated 4 stars or above. Patient satisfaction: 69%. Cash price of $3,606 is below the statewide average of $3,809.

All facilities ranked by price

1
Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital 3★ · 0.1 mi · Nonprofit
$3,594
2
Carilion New River Valley Medical Center 4★ · 0.1 mi · Nonprofit
$3,606
3
Carilion Medical Center 4★ · 0.0 mi · Nonprofit
$3,606
4
Carilion Giles Community Hospital 4★ · 0.1 mi · Nonprofit
$3,857
5
Sovah Health Danville 2★ · 0.1 mi · For-profit
$6,391
Complete facility data
# Facility Cash Price Gross Charge Markup CMS Stars Patient Rating Ownership
1 Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital Sentara Health South Boston, VA · 0.1 mi $3,594 $7,187 2.0x 3/5 71.0% Nonprofit
2 Carilion New River Valley Medical Center Carilion Clinic Christiansburg, VA · 0.1 mi $3,606 $6,010 1.67x 4/5 69.0% Nonprofit
3 Carilion Medical Center Carilion Clinic Roanoke, VA · 0.0 mi $3,606 $6,010 1.67x 4/5 66.0% Nonprofit
4 Carilion Giles Community Hospital Carilion Clinic Pearisburg, VA · 0.1 mi $3,857 $6,428 1.67x 4/5 83.0% Nonprofit
5 Sovah Health Danville Danville, VA · 0.1 mi $6,391 $15,977 2.5x 2/5 59.0% For-profit
6 Lewisgale Medical Center HCA Virginia Salem, VA · 0.1 mi $17,753 2/5 57.0% 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.

Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital

Cash: $3,594
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Sentara Health Plan Medicare Managed Care Plan $350 -$3,244
Humana Medicare Managed Care Plan $353 -$3,240
Anthem Anthem Medicare Managed Care Plan $359 -$3,234
UnitedHealthcare Snp Medicare Managed Care Plan $360 -$3,233
UnitedHealthcare All Commercial Plans $798 -$2,795
Anthem Anthem Exchange $1,100 -$2,494
Anthem Anthem Hmo $1,182 -$2,411
Anthem Anthem Ppo $1,219 -$2,375

Carilion New River Valley Medical Center

Cash: $3,606
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Anthem Managed Medicaid $294 -$3,312
Sentara Health Plan Managed Medicaid $300 -$3,306
ABH of VA (formerly Coventry) Managed Medicaid $308 -$3,298
UnitedHealthcare Managed Medicaid $308 -$3,298
Humana Managed Medicaid $308 -$3,298
Humana Dual Eligible $315 -$3,291
UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage $328 -$3,278
Humana Medicare Advantage $328 -$3,278
Anthem Medicare Advantage $331 -$3,275
Aetna Medicare Advantage $331 -$3,275
Sentara Health Plan Medicare Advantage $337 -$3,269
Humana Tricare $355 -$3,251
Anthem Exchange $1,359 -$2,247
Anthem Commercial $1,510 -$2,096

15 additional plans not shown.

Carilion Medical Center

Cash: $3,606
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Anthem Managed Medicaid $294 -$3,312
Sentara Health Plan Managed Medicaid $300 -$3,306
ABH of VA (formerly Coventry) Managed Medicaid $308 -$3,298
UnitedHealthcare Managed Medicaid $308 -$3,298
Humana Managed Medicaid $308 -$3,298
Humana Dual Eligible $315 -$3,291
UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage $328 -$3,278
Humana Medicare Advantage $328 -$3,278
Anthem Medicare Advantage $331 -$3,275
Aetna Medicare Advantage $331 -$3,275
Sentara Health Plan Medicare Advantage $337 -$3,269
Humana Tricare $355 -$3,251
Anthem Exchange $1,565 -$2,041
Anthem Commercial $1,739 -$1,867

15 additional plans not shown.

Carilion Giles Community Hospital

Cash: $3,857
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Anthem Managed Medicaid $294 -$3,563
Sentara Health Plan Managed Medicaid $300 -$3,557
UnitedHealthcare Managed Medicaid $308 -$3,549
ABH of VA (formerly Coventry) Managed Medicaid $308 -$3,549
Humana Managed Medicaid $308 -$3,549
Humana Dual Eligible $315 -$3,542
UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage $328 -$3,529
Humana Medicare Advantage $328 -$3,529
Aetna Medicare Advantage $331 -$3,526
Anthem Medicare Advantage $331 -$3,526
Sentara Health Plan Medicare Advantage $337 -$3,520
Humana Tricare $355 -$3,501
Anthem Exchange $1,646 -$2,211
Anthem Commercial $1,829 -$2,028

15 additional plans not shown.

Lewisgale Medical Center

Cash: N/A
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate
UnitedHealthcare AllPayerAppendix $828
Anthem HIX $1,693
Anthem HMO $1,881
Anthem PPO $1,881
Aetna SharedSavings $2,994
Lifeworks MCR $3,373
Universal Healthcare Group MCR $3,906
Virginia Health Network ULTRA $6,214
UnitedHealthcare OptionsPPO $6,746
UnitedHealthcare GlobalBenefitPlan $7,989
Aetna Broad $9,587
Greenvbrier Sporting Club COMM $10,652
Virginia Health Network COMM $12,605
Virginia Health Network WC $12,605
CorVel WorkersComp $12,782

11 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
Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Carilion New River Valley Medical Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Carilion Medical Center Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Carilion Giles Community Hospital Nonprofit Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Sovah Health Danville For-profit N/A (for-profit)
Lewisgale Medical 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.