Scans and imaging CPT 72146 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Thoracic spine MRI cost in Jamestown, NY — inpatient

In Jamestown-Dunkirk, NY, 2 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the mid back (thoracic spine), no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $682.20 to $1,697.28, with a median of $1,189.74. The lowest listed price is at UPMC Chautauqua — $507.54 less than the median here. Across New York, the median is $996.03 at 62 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 72146, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 24, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 14, 2026 and Apr 14, 2026.

Lowest$682.20UPMC Chautauqua
Median$1,189.74half pay less
Highest$1,697.28in this market
Difference2.5×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 Jamestown-Dunkirk, NY.

median
Lowest $682.20Highest $1,697.28

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
UPMC Chautauqua lowest Jamestown, NY · (716) 487-0141 MR SP CANAL THORACIC WO $682.20 $1,137.00 $739.05–$852.75 40% —
source file
Westfield Memorial Hospital Westfield, NY HC MRI THOR SPINE WO CNTRST $1,697.28 $2,176.00 — 22% Apr 14, 2026
source file

Inpatient: lowest $682.20, median $1,189.74, highest $1,697.28 — a 2.5× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $1,189.74 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated and 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.