Thoracic spine MRI cost in El Paso, TX — inpatient
In El Paso, TX, 3 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the mid back (thoracic spine), no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $177.78 to $182.60, with a median of $177.78. The lowest listed price is at University Medical Center El Paso and 1 other hospital. Across Texas, the median is $2,034.41 at 98 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 72146, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . 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 El Paso, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Medical Center El Paso lowest El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7602 NE MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONT | $177.78 | $888.91 | $168.89–$1,119.00 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center Surgical Hospital lowest Dieter El Paso, TX NE MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONT | $177.78 | $888.91 | $168.89–$1,119.00 | 80% | — source file |
| El Paso Children's Hospital El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7148 MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONT | $182.60 | $913.00 | $168.60–$908.78 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center Surgical Hospital Dieter El Paso, TX REN MRI THORACIC SPIW/O CONT | $624.77 | $3,123.87 | $171.12–$1,718.13 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center El Paso El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7602 WS MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONT | $624.77 | $3,123.87 | $171.12–$1,718.13 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center El Paso El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7602 REN MRI THORACIC SPIW/O CONT | $624.77 | $3,123.87 | $171.12–$1,718.13 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center El Paso El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7602 ES MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONT | $624.77 | $3,123.87 | $171.12–$1,718.13 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center Surgical Hospital Dieter El Paso, TX WS MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONT | $624.77 | $3,123.87 | $171.12–$1,718.13 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center Surgical Hospital Dieter El Paso, TX ES MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONT | $624.77 | $3,123.87 | $171.12–$1,718.13 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center El Paso El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7602 MRI T-SPINE W/O | $661.62 | $3,308.12 | $171.12–$1,819.47 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center Surgical Hospital Dieter El Paso, TX MRI T-SPINE W/O | $661.62 | $3,308.12 | $171.12–$1,819.47 | 80% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $177.78, median $177.78, highest $182.60.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $177.78 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 3 of 3 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.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is 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.
| University Medical Center Surgical Hospital Dieter El Paso, TXSH MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONT | $157.94 | file |