Thoracic spine MRI cost in Detroit, MI
In Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, 25 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the mid back (thoracic spine), no contrast dye: from $233.59 to $6,936.00, with a median of $1,545.95. The lowest listed price is at Henry Ford Health — $1,312.36 less than the median here. Across Michigan, the median is $1,426.00 at 57 hospitals.
Cash prices at 25 facilities across 19 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 Dec 31, 2025 and Sep 2, 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Ford Health lowest Rochester, MI · (248) 652-5000 MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $233.59 | $497.00 | $293.64–$303.07 | 53% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital Wyandotte, MI HB MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $328.08 | $2,849.00 | $109.59–$546.80 | 88% | Jun 28, 2026 source file |
| Henry Ford Health West Bloomfield Hospital West Bloomfield, MI · (248) 325-1000 HB MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $328.08 | $2,849.00 | $80.54–$2,304.00 | 88% | Jun 28, 2026 source file |
| Henry Ford Health Hospital Detroit, MI · (313) 916-2600 HB MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $328.08 | $2,849.00 | $109.59–$546.80 | 88% | Jun 28, 2026 source file |
| Henry Ford Macomb Hospital Clinton Twp, MI · (586) 263-2300 HB MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $328.08 | $2,849.00 | $109.59–$546.80 | 88% | Jun 28, 2026 source file |
| Henry Ford Health East China Township, MI · (810) 329-7111 MRI SPINE THORACIC W/O CONTRAS | $588.00 | $1,050.00 | $143.88–$779.32 | 44% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health East China Township, MI · (810) 329-7111 MRI SPINE THORACIC W/O CONTRAS | $588.00 | $1,050.00 | $143.88–$779.32 | 44% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health Detroit, MI · (313) 343-4000 MRI SPINE THORACIC W/O CONTRA | $983.92 | $1,757.00 | $143.88–$779.32 | 44% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health Detroit, MI · (313) 343-4000 MRI SPINE THORACIC W/O CONTRA | $983.92 | $1,757.00 | $143.88–$779.32 | 44% | — source file |
| McLaren Port Huron Port Huron, MI · (810) 987-5000 MRI CHEST SPINE W/O DYE | $1,136.15 | $2,272.30 | $132.22–$1,154.33 | 50% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| McLaren Port Huron Port Huron, MI · (810) 987-5000 MRI Spine Thoracic w/o Contrast | $1,175.90 | $2,351.80 | $132.22–$1,194.71 | 50% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| Henry Ford Health Southfield, MI · (248) 849-3000 T-SPINE W/O CONTRAST-MRI | $1,347.36 | $2,406.00 | $143.88–$505.13 | 44% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health Southfield, MI · (248) 849-3000 T-SPINE W/O CONTRAST-MRI | $1,347.36 | $2,406.00 | $143.88–$505.13 | 44% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health Novi, MI T-SPINE W/O CONTRAST-MRI | $1,347.36 | $2,406.00 | $143.88–$505.13 | 44% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health Novi, MI T-SPINE W/O CONTRAST-MRI | $1,347.36 | $2,406.00 | $143.88–$505.13 | 44% | — source file |
| McLaren Oakland Pontiac, MI · (248) 338-5000 MRI Spine Thoracic w/o Contrast | $1,459.40 | $2,918.80 | $132.22–$2,105.04 | 50% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| Henry Ford Health Warren, MI · (586) 573-5000 MRI SPINE THORACIC W/O CONTRAS | $1,480.08 | $2,643.00 | $143.88–$779.32 | 44% | — source file |
| Henry Ford Health Warren, MI · (586) 573-5000 MRI SPINE THORACIC W/O CONTRAS | $1,480.08 | $2,643.00 | $143.88–$779.32 | 44% | — source file |
| McLaren Lapeer Region Lapeer, MI · (810) 667-5500 MRI Spine Thoracic w/o Contrast | $1,545.95 | $3,091.90 | $132.22–$2,164.33 | 50% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| Karmanos Cancer Center Detroit, MI · (800) 576-6266 MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CN | $1,593.20 | $3,186.40 | $132.22–$2,389.80 | 50% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| Karmanos Cancer Center Detroit, MI · (800) 576-6266 MRI-THORACIC SPINE (W/O C | $1,593.50 | $3,187.00 | $132.22–$2,390.25 | 50% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| McLaren Macomb Mount Clemens, MI · (586) 493-8000 MRI Spine Thoracic w/o Contrast | $1,794.55 | $3,589.10 | $132.22–$2,422.64 | 50% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| William Beaumont Hospital Troy, MI · (248) 964-8800 Hc Mri Thoracic Spine Wo Contrast | $3,522.00 | $3,522.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Corewell Health Trenton Hospital Trenton, MI · (734) 671-3800 Hc Mri Thoracic Spine Wo Contrast | $3,522.00 | $3,522.00 | — | — | — source file |
| William Beaumont Hospital Grosse Pointe, MI · (313) 473-1000 Hc Mri Thoracic Spine Wo Contrast | $3,522.00 | $3,522.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Beaumont Hospital - Taylor Taylor, MI · (313) 295-5000 Hc Mri Thoracic Spine Wo Contrast | $3,522.00 | $3,522.00 | — | — | — source file |
| Corewell Health Wayne Hospital Wayne, MI · (734) 467-4175 Hc Mri Thoracic Spine Wo Contrast | $3,522.00 | $3,522.00 | — | — | — source file |
| VHS Detroit Receiving Hospital Detroit, MI · (313) 745-2941 MRI SPINE THORAC W/O CM | $4,053.00 | $5,404.00 | — | 25% | Apr 7, 2026 source file |
| Harper University Hospital Detroit, MI · (313) 745-6211 MRI SPINE THORAC W/O CM | $4,579.50 | $6,106.00 | $1.00–$471.65 | 25% | Aug 20, 2026 source file |
| Harper University Hospital Detroit, MI · (313) 745-6211 MRI SPINE THORAC W/O CM | $4,579.50 | $6,106.00 | $1.00–$471.65 | 25% | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| VHS Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital Commerce Charter Twp, MI · (248) 937-3370 MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONT | $4,890.75 | $6,521.00 | $1.00–$471.65 | 25% | May 20, 2026 source file |
| VHS Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital Commerce Charter Twp, MI · (248) 937-3370 MRI SPINE THORAC W/O CM | $4,890.75 | $6,521.00 | $1.00–$471.65 | 25% | May 20, 2026 source file |
| VHS Childrens Hospital of Michigan Detroit, MI · (313) 745-5437 MRI SPINE THORAC W/O CM | $5,685.00 | $7,580.00 | — | 25% | Apr 6, 2026 source file |
| VHS Sinai Grace Hospital Detroit, MI · (313) 966-3300 MRI SPINE THORAC W/O CM | $6,936.00 | $9,248.00 | — | 25% | Apr 8, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $233.59, median $1,545.95, highest $6,936.00 — a 29.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $3,522.00. 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 11 of 17 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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.
4 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.
| McLaren Macomb Mount Clemens, MIMRI Spine Thoracic w/o Contrast - Report | $95.90 | file |
| McLaren Port Huron Port Huron, MIMRI Spine Thoracic w/o Contrast - Report | $95.90 | file |
| McLaren Oakland Pontiac, MIMRI Spine Thoracic w/o Contrast - Report | $95.90 | file |
| McLaren Lapeer Region Lapeer, MIMRI Spine Thoracic w/o Contrast - Report | $95.90 | file |