Thoracic spine MRI cost in Omaha, NE
In Omaha, NE-IA, 10 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the mid back (thoracic spine), no contrast dye: from $1,033.50 to $2,245.18, with a median of $1,561.56. The lowest listed price is at Jennie Edmundson Memorial Hospital — $528.06 less than the median here. Across Nebraska, the median is $1,606.11 at 16 hospitals.
Cash prices at 10 facilities across 5 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 Feb 14, 2026 and Aug 10, 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 Omaha, NE-IA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jennie Edmundson Memorial Hospital lowest Council Bluffs, IA · (712) 396-6000 MRI Exam | $1,033.50 | $3,445.00 | $452.93–$2,411.50 | 70% | Feb 15, 2026 source file |
| Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, NE · (402) 559-4000 MRI scan of middle spinal canal without contrast | $1,121.25 | $1,725.00 | $351.02–$4,454.81 | 35% | Aug 10, 2026 source file |
| Bellevue Medical Center Bellevue, NE · (402) 763-3600 MRI scan of middle spinal canal without contrast | $1,121.25 | $1,725.00 | $351.02–$4,454.81 | 35% | Aug 10, 2026 source file |
| Nebraska Methodist Hospital Omaha, NE · (402) 354-4000 MRI Exam | $1,240.20 | $3,445.00 | $452.93–$2,411.50 | 64% | Feb 14, 2026 source file |
| Nebraska Methodist Hospital Omaha, NE · (402) 354-4000 MRI Exam | $1,240.20 | $3,445.00 | $452.93–$2,411.50 | 64% | Feb 14, 2026 source file |
| Alegent Creighton Health Omaha, NE · (402) 717-8000 HC MR THORACIC WO CONTRAST | $1,561.56 | $3,718.00 | $196.87–$3,160.30 | 58% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Alegent Health Immanuel Medical Center Omaha, NE · (402) 572-2121 HC MR THORACIC WO CONTRAST | $1,561.56 | $3,718.00 | $199.08–$3,160.30 | 58% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs Council Bluffs, IA · (712) 328-5000 HC MR THORACIC WO CONTRAST | $1,561.56 | $3,718.00 | $229.50–$3,160.30 | 58% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| CHI Health Bergan Mercy Omaha, NE · (402) 398-6020 HC MR THORACIC WO CONTRAST | $1,561.56 | $3,718.00 | $203.92–$3,160.30 | 58% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| CHI Health Bergan Mercy Omaha, NE · (402) 398-6020 HC MR THORACIC WO CONTRAST | $1,561.56 | $3,718.00 | $203.92–$3,160.30 | 58% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Alegent Creighton Health Papillion, NE · (402) 593-3000 HC MR THORACIC WO CONTRAST | $1,561.56 | $3,718.00 | $196.87–$3,160.30 | 58% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Alegent Health Community Memorial Hospital of Missouri Valley, Iowa Missouri Valley, IA · (712) 642-2784 HC MR THORACIC WO CONTRAST | $2,245.18 | $4,582.00 | $1,603.70–$4,490.36 | 51% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,033.50, median $1,561.56, highest $2,245.18 — a 2.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $1,561.56. 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 10 of 10 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.