Neck MRI with contrast cost in Buffalo, NY
In Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, 5 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the neck (cervical spine) without and with contrast: from $300.00 to $4,473.08, with a median of $300.00. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo and 2 other hospitals. Across New York, the median is $1,557.00 at 61 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 2 cities for code 72156, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Aug 25, 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo lowest Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 HC MRI, Cerv Spine Combo - MRI Cervical Spine W WO Contrast | $300.00 | $2,916.00 | $72.04–$2,916.00 | 90% | — source file |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital lowest Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 HC MRI, Cerv Spine Combo - MRI Cervical Spine W WO Contrast | $300.00 | $2,916.00 | $72.04–$2,916.00 | 90% | — source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital lowest Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 HC MRI, Cerv Spine Combo - MRI Cervical Spine W WO Contrast | $300.00 | $2,916.00 | $72.04–$2,916.00 | 90% | — source file |
| Erie County Medical Center Buffalo, NY · (716) 898-3936 MRI NECK SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $825.78 | — | $189.54–$1,870.48 | — | Aug 25, 2026 source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 MRI Spinal Canal Cervical W/O & W/Contr Matrl | $1,178.60 | $1,178.60 | $72.04–$2,916.00 | — | — source file |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 MRI Spinal Canal Cervical W/O & W/Contr Matrl | $1,178.60 | $1,178.60 | $72.04–$2,916.00 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 MRI Spinal Canal Cervical W/O & W/Contr Matrl | $1,178.60 | $1,178.60 | $72.04–$2,916.00 | — | — source file |
| Roswell Park Cancer Institute Buffalo, NY Mri Cervical W/ & W/O Contrast | $4,473.08 | $4,473.08 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $300.00, median $300.00, highest $4,473.08 — a 14.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $300.00. 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 4 of 4 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
This MRI of the cervical spine is done without and then with contrast dye. Contrast helps after spine surgery and with tumors, infections and multiple sclerosis.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the scan and the contrast dye. The radiologist's reading may be billed separately.