Neck MRI with contrast cost in Charlotte, NC
In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 16 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the neck (cervical spine) without and with contrast: from $1,392.66 to $7,145.00, with a median of $2,529.55. The lowest listed price is at Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital — $1,136.89 less than the median here. Across North Carolina, the median is $2,529.55 at 37 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 13 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 Dec 1, 2025 and Sep 1, 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital lowest Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 HC MRI CERV SPINE WOW CNTRST | $1,392.66 | $5,158.00 | $339.69–$3,352.70 | 73% | — source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital lowest Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 MRI Cerv Spine Wow Cntrst | $1,392.66 | $5,158.00 | $1,010.20–$2,428.24 | 73% | — source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital lowest Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 MRI Cerv Spine Wow Cntrst | $1,392.66 | $5,158.00 | $1,010.20–$2,428.24 | 73% | — source file |
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center Chester, SC · (803) 581-3151 HB MRI C-SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $1,393.00 | $2,786.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC MRI CERV SPINE COMBO | $2,529.55 | $5,059.10 | $341.74–$4,806.15 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Union Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC MRI CERV SPINE COMBO | $2,529.55 | $5,059.10 | $346.46–$4,806.15 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC MRI CERV SPINE COMBO | $2,529.55 | $5,059.10 | $346.46–$4,654.37 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC MRI CERV SPINE COMBO | $2,529.55 | $5,059.10 | $346.46–$4,907.33 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC MRI CERV SPINE COMBO | $2,529.55 | $5,059.10 | $364.27–$4,553.19 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte, NC HC MRI CERV SPINE COMBO | $2,529.55 | $5,059.10 | $364.27–$4,654.37 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Belmont, NC HC MRI CERV SPINE COMBO | $2,529.55 | $5,059.10 | $364.27–$4,654.37 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC MRI CERV SPINE COMBO | $2,529.55 | $5,059.10 | $346.46–$4,806.15 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC MRI CERV SPINE COMBO | $2,529.55 | $5,059.10 | $346.46–$4,806.15 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC MRI CERV SPINE COMBO | $2,529.55 | $5,059.10 | $346.46–$4,553.19 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC MRI CERV SPINE COMBO | $2,529.55 | $5,059.10 | $346.46–$4,654.37 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC MRI CERV SPINE COMBO | $2,529.55 | $5,059.10 | $961.23–$5,059.10 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB MRI C-SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $4,019.00 | $8,038.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Piedmont Medical Center Rock Hill, SC MRI SPINE CERV WO/W CM | $5,721.75 | $7,629.00 | $1.00–$5,798.04 | 25% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Piedmont Medical Center Fort Mill, SC MRI SPINE CERV WO/W CM | $5,721.75 | $7,629.00 | $1.00–$5,798.04 | 25% | Apr 15, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC HCHG MRI CERVICAL SPINE W/WO CONT | $7,145.00 | $7,145.00 | $356.43–$6,787.75 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG MRI CERVICAL SPINE W/WO CONT | $7,145.00 | $7,145.00 | $356.43–$6,787.75 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC HCHG MRI CERVICAL SPINE W/WO CONT | $7,145.00 | $7,145.00 | $356.43–$6,787.75 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,392.66, median $2,529.55, highest $7,145.00 — a 5.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $2,529.55. 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 11 of 14 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.