Scans and imaging CPT 72156 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Neck MRI with contrast cost in Harrisburg, PA — inpatient

In Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA, 5 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the neck (cervical spine) without and with contrast as an inpatient: from $426.68 to $2,854.80, with a median of $591.70. The lowest listed price is at Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center — $165.02 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $2,854.80 at 64 hospitals.

Cash prices at 5 facilities across 5 cities for code 72156, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.

Lowest$426.68Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center
Median$591.70half pay less
Highest$2,854.80in this market
Difference6.7×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA.

median
Lowest $426.68Highest $2,854.80

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center lowest Camp Hill, PA · (717) 763-2100 72156 MRI NECK SPINE W/O & W/DYE Tech $426.68 $1,786.00 $289.82–$1,473.33 76% —
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Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center Enola, PA · (717) 981-9000 72156 MRI NECK SPINE W/O & W/DYE Tech $562.05 $1,786.00 $289.82–$1,457.31 69% —
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Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 MRI Spine Cervical w/ + w/o Contrast - Report $591.70 $1,786.00 $314.51–$1,989.80 67% —
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UPMC Pinnacle Hospitals Harrisburg, PA · (717) 782-3131 HC MRI Cervical W/Wo Contrast $2,854.80 $4,758.00 $3,092.70–$4,044.30 40% —
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UPMC Carlisle Carlisle, PA · (717) 249-1212 HC MRI Cervical W/Wo Contrast $2,854.80 $4,758.00 $1,941.26–$4,044.30 40% —
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Inpatient: lowest $426.68, median $591.70, highest $2,854.80 — a 6.7× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $591.70 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At 5 of 5 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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.