Thoracic spine MRI cost in Appleton, WI
In Appleton, WI, 4 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the mid back (thoracic spine), no contrast dye: from $808.26 to $1,866.75, with a median of $1,702.85. The lowest listed price is at Ascension NE Wisconsin - St Elizabeth Campus — $894.59 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $1,702.85 at 69 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 2 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 — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Appleton, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension NE Wisconsin - St Elizabeth Campus lowest Appleton, WI · (920) 738-2000 HC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $808.26 | $1,418.00 | $74.72–$723.51 | 43% | — source file |
| ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Appleton, WI HC Limited Combo-MRI Thoracic Spine W/O Contrast | $1,702.85 | $3,040.80 | $395.30–$4,606.94 | 44% | — source file |
| ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Appleton, WI · (920) 731-4101 HC Limited Combo-MRI Thoracic Spine W/O Contrast | $1,702.85 | $3,040.80 | $395.30–$4,606.94 | 44% | — source file |
| Ascension Calumet Hospital Chilton, WI · (920) 849-2386 HC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,866.75 | $3,275.00 | $74.72–$723.51 | 43% | — source file |
| ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Appleton, WI HC LIMITED COMBO-MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $1,984.14 | $3,543.10 | $395.30–$4,606.94 | 44% | — source file |
| ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Appleton, WI · (920) 731-4101 HC LIMITED COMBO-MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $1,984.14 | $3,543.10 | $395.30–$4,606.94 | 44% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $808.26, median $1,702.85, highest $1,866.75 — a 2.3× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 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.