What the average cost of an MRI of the lumbar spine?

I recently had a lumbar spine MRI with and without contrast. My insurance company was charged $4,307 plus an additional $700+ for the radiologist's fee. When I saw the bill, I laughed thinking there must have been a mistake. Nevertheless, the insurance company actually approved $2,500 of the charges. I've had several other MRIs in the past which cost anywhere from $500 to $1750, including the radiologist's report. Since receiving the bill, I called some local imaging clinics whose charges range from $500 to $600 for a cash-pay lumbar spine MRI with and without contrast including the films and the radiologist's report.

My conclusion is there is no such thing as an 'average cost' for a lumbar spine MRI. The cost is whatever the clinic wants to charge. Unfortunately, the Doctor Who orders the MRI usually sends you to the MRI clinic associated with his practice and he has no idea of the cost. And the patient usually trusts the doctor and doesn't bother asking the price ahead of time or shopping around. That was what happened in my case, and now I know why insurance premiums are so high. The moral: always shop around...