Thoracic spine MRI cost in Akron, OH
In Akron, OH, 4 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the mid back (thoracic spine), no contrast dye: from $350.00 to $4,986.75, with a median of $1,674.98. The lowest listed price is at Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center — $1,324.98 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $1,312.35 at 86 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 3 cities for code 72146, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Nov 11, 2025 and Jul 14, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Akron, OH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center lowest Fairlawn, OH MRI scan of middle spinal canal without contrast | $350.00 | $5,040.00 | $226.16–$11,947.23 | 93% | Jun 19, 2026 source file |
| Akron General Medical Center Akron, OH · (330) 344-6000 MRI SPINAL CANAL THORACIC W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $1,084.20 | $1,668.00 | $0.87–$1,165.03 | 35% | Jun 15, 2026 source file |
| University Hospitals Portage Medical Center Ravenna, OH · (330) 297-2300 HC MRI, DORSAL SPINE - MRI COMPLETE SPINE WO CONTRAST | $2,265.75 | $3,021.00 | $243.77–$2,718.90 | 25% | Jul 14, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron Akron, OH · (330) 543-8290 HB MRI, DORSAL SPINE | $4,986.75 | $6,649.00 | $2,260.66–$6,575.86 | 25% | Nov 11, 2025 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $350.00, median $1,674.98, highest $4,986.75 — a 14.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $1,674.98. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 4 of 4 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
An MRI of the thoracic spine makes detailed pictures of the middle section of the spine, between the neck and the lower back, including discs, vertebrae and the spinal cord. It is ordered for mid-back pain, suspected fractures or nerve symptoms. No contrast dye is used.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the scan of the mid-back section only. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.
2 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 72146 ($1,673.76). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron Akron, OHCHG MRI, DORSAL SPINE | $0.60 | file |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron Akron, OHCHG MRI SPINAL CANAL THORACIC W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $145.80 | file |