Price Comparison Report

MRI Lumbar Spine with and without Contrast

Winston-Salem, NC · 4 facilities · CPT 72158 · September 06, 2026

Summary

4 facilities within 25 miles of Winston-Salem publish prices for MRI Lumbar Spine with and without Contrast. Cash prices range from $1,515 to $2,389 — a 1.6x difference for an identical procedure. The North Carolina average is $3,489.

$1,515 lowest
$2,389 highest
Best Value

Novant Health Clemmons Medical Center

Clemmons, VA · Novant Health · 9.0 mi

$1,515 Cash price

Lowest published cash price in the area at $1,515.

All facilities ranked by price

1
Novant Health Clemmons Medical Center · 9.0 mi ·
$1,515
2
Davie Medical Center · 12.0 mi ·
$2,255
3
High Point Regional Health System 2★ · 16.7 mi · Nonprofit
$2,389
Complete facility data
# Facility Cash Price Gross Charge Markup CMS Stars Patient Rating Ownership
1 Novant Health Clemmons Medical Center Novant Health Clemmons, NC · 9.0 mi $1,515 $2,525 1.67x — —
2 Davie Medical Center Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Bermuda Run, NC · 12.0 mi $2,255 $4,510 2.0x — —
3 High Point Regional Health System UNC Health High Point, NC · 16.7 mi $2,389 $4,778 2.0x 2/5 64.0% Nonprofit
4 Novant Health Kernersville Medical Center Novant Health Kernersville, NC · 9.6 mi — — — — —

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 Clemmons Medical Center

Cash: $1,515
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Blue Cross Blue Shield 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
Blue Cross Blue Shield Healthy Blue Medicaid $478 -$1,037
UnitedHealthcare Medicaid $478 -$1,037
Wellcare Medicaid $478 -$1,037
Blue Cross Blue Shield Advantage65 $621 -$894
Blue Cross Blue Shield BlueCare $621 -$894

39 additional plans not shown.

Davie Medical Center

Cash: $2,255
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Medicare — $360 -$1,895
Cigna — $360 -$1,895
Humana — $363 -$1,892
Medicaid — $864 -$1,391
UnitedHealthcare — $873 -$1,382
Ambetter — $1,348 -$907
Blue Local Individual — $1,388 -$867
Aetna — $1,664 -$591
MedCost — $1,705 -$550
Blue Cross Blue Shield — $1,854 -$401
Direct Net Managed Care — $2,665 +$410
Healthgram Managed Care — $3,157 +$902

High Point Regional Health System

Cash: $2,389
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Cigna — $386 -$2,003
Medicare — $386 -$2,003
Humana — $394 -$1,995
Medicaid — $744 -$1,645
UnitedHealthcare — $751 -$1,638
MedCost — $2,193 -$196
Aetna — $2,293 -$96
Blue Cross Blue Shield — $2,313 -$76
Direct Net — $2,824 +$435
Coventry WellPath Carolinas — $3,822 +$1,433
Coventry WellPath (National) — $4,061 +$1,672
Coventry First Health — $4,444 +$2,055
Beech Street — $4,539 +$2,150

Novant Health Kernersville Medical Center

Cash: N/A
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate
Blue Cross Blue Shield 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
Blue Cross Blue Shield Advantage65 $621
Blue Cross Blue Shield BlueCare $621
Blue Cross Blue Shield BlueMedicare HMO $621
Blue Cross Blue Shield BlueMedicare PPO $621
Blue Cross Blue Shield BlueSelect $621
Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO $621
Blue Cross Blue Shield 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 Clemmons Medical Center — N/A (for-profit)
Davie Medical Center — N/A (for-profit)
High Point Regional Health System Nonprofit — Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Novant Health Kernersville Medical Center — 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.