Thoracic spine MRI cost in Milwaukee, WI
In Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI, 16 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the mid back (thoracic spine), no contrast dye: from $1,337.19 to $2,709.03, with a median of $2,110.00. The lowest listed price is at Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital and 3 other hospitals — $772.81 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $1,702.85 at 69 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 9 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 Nov 21, 2025 and Mar 23, 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital lowest Franklin, WI HC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,337.19 | $2,523.00 | $254.16–$836.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 447-2130 HC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,337.19 | $2,523.00 | $254.16–$836.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension St. Francis Hospital lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 647-5000 HC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,337.19 | $2,523.00 | $254.16–$836.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension St. Francis Hospital lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 647-5000 HC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,337.19 | $2,523.00 | $254.16–$836.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare - Southeast Wisconsin lowest Franklin, WI HC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,337.19 | $2,523.00 | $254.16–$836.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare - Southeast Wisconsin lowest Franklin, WI HC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,337.19 | $2,523.00 | $254.16–$836.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital lowest Franklin, WI HC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,337.19 | $2,523.00 | $254.16–$836.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 447-2130 HC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,337.19 | $2,523.00 | $254.16–$836.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Ozaukee Mequon, WI HC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $2,027.25 | $3,825.00 | $116.26–$724.30 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Ozaukee Mequon, WI HC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $2,027.25 | $3,825.00 | $116.26–$724.30 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI · (414) 585-1374 HC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $2,027.25 | $3,825.00 | $116.26–$724.30 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI · (414) 585-1374 HC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $2,027.25 | $3,825.00 | $116.26–$724.30 | 47% | — source file |
| Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Institute Mequon, WI HC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $2,100.39 | $3,963.00 | $116.26–$724.30 | 47% | — source file |
| Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Institute Mequon, WI HC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $2,100.39 | $3,963.00 | $116.26–$724.30 | 47% | — source file |
| Aurora West Allis Medical Center West Allis, WI · (414) 328-6000 MR T SPINE WO DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $650.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Grafton Grafton, WI · (262) 329-1000 MR T SPINE WO DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $650.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Washington County Hartford, WI · (262) 673-2300 MR T SPINE WO DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $650.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Kenosha Kenosha, WI · (262) 948-5600 MR T SPINE WO DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $650.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Kenosha Kenosha, WI · (262) 948-5600 MR THORACIC SPINE LTD WITHOUT DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $650.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Sinai Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI MR T SPINE WO DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $650.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI · (414) 649-6000 MR THORACIC SPINE LTD WITHOUT DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $650.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI · (414) 649-6000 MR T SPINE WO DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $650.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes South Shore of Aurora Health Care Metro Cudahy, WI MR T SPINE WO DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $650.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Summit Summit, WI · (262) 434-1600 MR T SPINE WO DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $650.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora West Allis Medical Center West Allis, WI · (414) 328-6000 MR THORACIC SPINE LTD WITHOUT DYE | $2,110.00 | $4,220.00 | $650.00–$3,587.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $2,709.03 | $4,925.50 | $3,447.85–$4,679.23 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC MRI THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST | $2,709.03 | $4,925.50 | $3,447.85–$4,679.23 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,337.19, median $2,110.00, highest $2,709.03 — a 2.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $2,110.00. 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 9 of 16 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.