Thoracic spine MRI cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 17 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the mid back (thoracic spine), no contrast dye: from $631.50 to $6,214.20, with a median of $2,796.00. The lowest listed price is at Uniontown Hospital — $2,164.50 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $2,054.32 at 64 hospitals.
Cash prices at 17 facilities across 10 cities for code 72146, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 6, 2026 and Apr 14, 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 Pittsburgh, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uniontown Hospital lowest Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 MRI SCAN OF MIDDLE SPINAL CANAL WITHOUT CONTRAST | $631.50 | $1,263.00 | $52.50–$538.86 | 50% | — source file |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 MRI CHEST SPINE W/O DYE | $707.50 | $1,415.00 | $52.50–$538.86 | 50% | — source file |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 MRI DORSAL SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $1,554.42 | $2,220.60 | $172.84–$1,598.83 | 30% | — source file |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 MRI T SPINE WITHOUT | $1,755.60 | $2,926.00 | $986.06–$2,282.28 | 40% | — source file |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 MRI THORACIC SPINE W/O | $1,755.60 | $2,926.00 | $787.09–$3,585.81 | 40% | — source file |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 MRI THORACIC WO/CONTRAST | $1,755.60 | $2,926.00 | $986.06–$2,282.28 | 40% | — source file |
| Forbes Hospital Monroeville, PA · (412) 858-2000 HC MRI THOR SPINE WO CNTRST | $2,036.58 | $2,611.00 | $132.85–$2,874.85 | 22% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| AHN Wexford Hospital Wexford, PA · (412) 295-3319 HC MRI THOR SPINE WO CNTRST | $2,039.44 | $2,756.00 | $132.85–$772.58 | 26% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 578-5000 HC MRI THOR SPINE WO CNTRST | $2,117.73 | $2,901.00 | $165.45–$815.95 | 27% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PA · (412) 469-5000 HC MRI THOR SPINE WO CNTRST | $2,232.36 | $2,756.00 | $108.55–$761.74 | 19% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 MR SP CANAL THORACIC WO | $2,796.00 | $4,660.00 | $215.28–$4,100.80 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 MR SP CANAL THORACIC WO | $3,091.80 | $5,153.00 | $217.00–$4,637.70 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 MR SP CANAL THORACIC WO | $3,682.80 | $6,138.00 | $198.97–$5,217.30 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC MR SP CANAL THORACIC WO | $3,801.60 | $6,336.00 | $214.16–$5,385.60 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 MR SP CANAL THORACIC WO | $3,834.60 | $6,391.00 | $213.60–$5,432.35 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 MR SP CANAL THORACIC WO | $3,940.80 | $6,568.00 | $231.07–$5,254.40 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 MR SP CANAL THORACIC WO | $4,125.00 | $6,875.00 | $192.10–$6,187.50 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC MR SP CANAL THORACIC WO | $4,272.00 | $7,120.00 | $215.68–$6,550.40 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 MR SP CANAL THORACIC WO | $6,214.20 | $10,357.00 | $224.64–$8,803.45 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $631.50, median $2,796.00, highest $6,214.20 — a 9.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $2,943.90. 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 13 of 17 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.
4 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.
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PACHG MRI SPINAL CANAL THORACIC W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $37.43 | file |
| Forbes Hospital Monroeville, PACHG MRI SPINAL CANAL THORACIC W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $43.34 | file |
| AHN Wexford Hospital Wexford, PACHG MRI SPINAL CANAL THORACIC W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $51.22 | file |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PACHG MRI SPINAL CANAL THORACIC W/O CONTRAST MATRL | $53.19 | file |