Thoracic spine MRI cost in Minneapolis, MN
In Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, 21 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the mid back (thoracic spine), no contrast dye: from $222.56 to $1,382.33, with a median of $722.21. The lowest listed price is at Methodist Hospital — $499.65 less than the median here. Across Minnesota, the median is $1,240.46 at 47 hospitals.
Cash prices at 21 facilities across 18 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 Jan 29, 2026 and Jun 17, 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methodist Hospital lowest St. Louis Park, MN Thoracic MRI | $222.56 | $856.00 | $138.47–$2,335.00 | 74% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Coon Rapids, MN · (762) 236-6000 HCHG RAD MRI SPINE THORACIC WO LIMITED | $411.26 | $856.80 | $172.39–$1,900.00 | 52% | Jun 17, 2026 source file |
| Abbott Northwestern Hospital Minneapolis, MN · (612) 863-4000 HCHG RAD MRI SPINE THORACIC WO LIMITED | $411.26 | $856.80 | $172.39–$1,869.00 | 52% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| Childrens Health Care Minneapolis, MN · (612) 813-6112 72146 PF MRI Spine Thoracic w/o Cont | $433.00 | $433.00 | $136.40–$433.00 | — | May 7, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Coon Rapids, MN · (762) 236-6000 HCHG RAD MRI SPINE THORACIC WO | $547.30 | $1,140.20 | $220.12–$1,900.00 | 52% | Jun 17, 2026 source file |
| Abbott Northwestern Hospital Minneapolis, MN · (612) 863-4000 HCHG RAD MRI SPINE THORACIC WO | $547.30 | $1,140.20 | $220.12–$1,869.00 | 52% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| M Health Fairview University of Mn Medical Center Minneapolis, MN · (612) 624-1765 Outpatient Services | $722.21 | $1,801.00 | $227.36–$1,620.90 | 60% | Feb 6, 2026 source file |
| Fairview Bethesda Hospital St. Paul, MN HC MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $722.21 | $1,801.00 | $227.36–$1,620.90 | 60% | Jan 29, 2026 source file |
| Fairview Lakes Health Services Wyoming, MN · (952) 892-2101 HC MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $722.21 | $1,801.00 | $227.36–$1,620.90 | 60% | Feb 5, 2026 source file |
| Fairview Northland Regional Hospital Princeton, MN · (952) 892-2101 HC MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $722.21 | $1,801.00 | $227.36–$1,620.90 | 60% | Jan 29, 2026 source file |
| M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital Edina, MN · (952) 924-5000 HC MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $722.21 | $1,801.00 | $227.36–$1,620.90 | 60% | Feb 6, 2026 source file |
| HealthEast St John's Hospital Maplewood, MN · (651) 232-7000 HC MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $722.21 | $1,801.00 | $227.36–$1,620.90 | 60% | Feb 5, 2026 source file |
| HealthEast Woodwinds Hospital Woodbury, MN · (651) 232-2185 HC MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $722.21 | $1,801.00 | $227.36–$1,620.90 | 60% | Feb 5, 2026 source file |
| M Health Fairview University of Mn Medical Center Minneapolis, MN · (612) 624-1765 HC MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $722.21 | $1,801.00 | $227.36–$1,620.90 | 60% | Feb 6, 2026 source file |
| Maple Grove Hospital Maple Grove, MN · (763) 581-1000 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); spinal canal, thoracic | $741.49 | $1,407.00 | $164.77–$2,340.00 | 47% | — source file |
| North Memorial Health Care Robbinsdale, MN · (763) 520-5200 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); spinal canal, thoracic | $741.49 | $1,407.00 | $179.36–$2,340.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Regions Hospital St. Paul, MN · (651) 254-1616 Thoracic MRI | $752.70 | $2,895.00 | $91.74–$2,338.00 | 74% | — source file |
| M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital Burnsville, MN · (952) 892-2000 HC MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $765.43 | $1,801.00 | $227.36–$1,620.90 | 57% | Feb 6, 2026 source file |
| Hudson Hospital Hudson, WI · (715) 531-6000 Thoracic MRI | $1,217.97 | $2,700.00 | $578.05–$3,091.00 | 55% | — source file |
| Lakeview Hospital Stillwater, MN · (651) 430-4509 Thoracic MRI | $1,220.26 | $3,298.00 | $143.22–$2,968.20 | 63% | — source file |
| Buffalo Hospital Buffalo, MN · (763) 682-1212 HCHG RAD MRI SPINE THORACIC WO LIMITED | $1,240.46 | $2,215.10 | $227.33–$2,330.00 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| Allina Health Systems River Falls, WI HCHG RAD MRI SPINE THORACIC WO LIMITED | $1,240.46 | $2,215.10 | $227.33–$2,215.10 | 44% | Jun 15, 2026 source file |
| Cambridge Medical Center Cambridge, MN · (763) 689-7700 HCHG RAD MRI SPINE THORACIC WO LIMITED | $1,240.46 | $2,215.10 | $227.33–$2,330.00 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| Westfields Hospital New Richmond, WI · (715) 246-2101 Thoracic MRI | $1,382.33 | $2,628.00 | $578.05–$2,628.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Buffalo Hospital Buffalo, MN · (763) 682-1212 HCHG RAD MRI SPINE THORACIC WO | $1,386.00 | $2,475.00 | $227.33–$2,475.00 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| Allina Health Systems River Falls, WI HCHG RAD MRI SPINE THORACIC WO | $1,386.00 | $2,475.00 | $227.33–$2,475.00 | 44% | Jun 15, 2026 source file |
| Cambridge Medical Center Cambridge, MN · (763) 689-7700 HCHG RAD MRI SPINE THORACIC WO | $1,386.00 | $2,475.00 | $227.33–$2,475.00 | 44% | Jun 16, 2026 source file |
| Childrens Health Care Minneapolis, MN · (612) 813-6112 MRI SPINE THORACIC WO CONT | $3,203.00 | $3,203.00 | $90.53–$3,203.00 | — | May 7, 2026 source file |
| Childrens Health Care Minneapolis, MN · (612) 813-6112 MRI SPINE THORACIC WO CONT- RAD | $3,203.00 | $3,203.00 | $90.53–$3,203.00 | — | May 7, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $222.56, median $722.21, highest $1,382.33 — a 6.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 21 facilities here, median $741.49. 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 20 of 21 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.
2 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.
| M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital Edina, MNAS MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $30.98 | file |
| HealthEast St John's Hospital Maplewood, MNAS MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $99.07 | file |