Scans and imaging CPT 72146 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Thoracic spine MRI cost in Fort Wayne, IN — inpatient

In Fort Wayne, IN, 7 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the mid back (thoracic spine), no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $231.48 to $827.20, with a median of $275.50. The lowest listed price is at Lutheran Hospital of Indiana — $44.02 less than the median here. Across Indiana, the median is $961.10 at 61 hospitals.

Cash prices at 7 facilities across 3 cities for code 72146, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026.

Lowest$231.48Lutheran Hospital of Indiana
Median$275.50half pay less
Highest$827.20in this market
Difference3.6×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Fort Wayne, IN.

median
Lowest $231.48Highest $1,549.35

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Lutheran Hospital of Indiana lowest Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 435-7001 MRI Spine Thoracic Limited WO $231.48 $643.00 $162.02–$578.70 64% Apr 1, 2026
source file
Parkview Whitley Hospital Columbia City, IN · (260) 248-9301 HC MRI-SPINE SURVEY THOR W/O CON $262.50 $525.00 — 50% —
source file
Parkview Regional Medical Center Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 266-1195 HC MRI-SPINE SURVEY THOR W/O CON $275.50 $551.00 — 50% —
source file
Parkview Ortho Hospital Fort Wayne, IN HC MRI-SPINE SURVEY THOR W/O CON $275.50 $551.00 — 50% —
source file
Lutheran Musculoskeletal Center Fort Wayne, IN MRI Spine Thoracic Limited WO $292.14 $1,082.00 $292.14–$1,082.00 73% Apr 1, 2026
source file
Dupont Hospital Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 416-3000 MRI Spine Thoracic Limited WO $307.35 $683.00 $202.85–$614.70 55% Apr 1, 2026
source file
Lutheran Hospital of Indiana Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 435-7001 72146 MR-THOR SPINE WO $644.76 $1,791.00 $451.29–$1,611.90 64% Apr 1, 2026
source file
Lutheran Hospital of Indiana Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 435-7001 MRI Spine Thoracic WO $683.28 $1,898.00 $478.25–$1,708.20 64% Apr 1, 2026
source file
Parkview Whitley Hospital Columbia City, IN · (260) 248-9301 HC MRI-THORACIC SPINE W/O CON $809.00 $1,618.00 — 50% —
source file
Bluffton Regional Medical Center Bluffton, IN · (260) 824-3210 MRI Spine Thoracic Limited WO $827.20 $1,504.00 $449.70–$1,353.60 45% Apr 1, 2026
source file
Bluffton Regional Medical Center Bluffton, IN · (260) 824-3210 MRI Spine Thoracic Lumbar WO $827.20 $1,504.00 $449.70–$1,353.60 45% Apr 1, 2026
source file
Bluffton Regional Medical Center Bluffton, IN · (260) 824-3210 MRI Spine Thoracic WO $827.20 $1,504.00 $449.70–$1,353.60 45% Apr 1, 2026
source file
Parkview Regional Medical Center Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 266-1195 HC MRI-THORACIC SPINE W/O CON $850.00 $1,700.00 — 50% —
source file
Parkview Ortho Hospital Fort Wayne, IN HC MRI-THORACIC SPINE W/O CON $850.00 $1,700.00 — 50% —
source file
Dupont Hospital Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 416-3000 72146 MR-THOR SPINE WO $854.10 $1,898.00 $563.71–$1,708.20 55% Apr 1, 2026
source file
Lutheran Musculoskeletal Center Fort Wayne, IN MRI Spine Thoracic WO $934.74 $3,462.00 $934.74–$3,462.00 73% Apr 1, 2026
source file
Lutheran Musculoskeletal Center Fort Wayne, IN MRI Spine Thoracic Lumbar WO $934.74 $3,462.00 $934.74–$3,462.00 73% Apr 1, 2026
source file
Dupont Hospital Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 416-3000 MRI Spine Thoracic WO $1,549.35 $3,443.00 $1,022.57–$3,098.70 55% Apr 1, 2026
source file
Dupont Hospital Fort Wayne, IN · (260) 416-3000 MRI Spine Thoracic Lumbar WO $1,549.35 $3,443.00 $1,022.57–$3,098.70 55% Apr 1, 2026
source file

Inpatient: lowest $231.48, median $275.50, highest $827.20 — a 3.6× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $262.50 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

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.