Neck MRI with contrast cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 25 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the neck (cervical spine) without and with contrast: from $346.18 to $9,808.20, with a median of $3,760.38. The lowest listed price is at Advanced Surgical Hospital — $3,414.20 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $2,915.50 at 104 hospitals.
- The median here, $3,760.38, is 40% above the US median of $2,691.66.
- That is 10.6× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($356.43).
- Pittsburgh, PA ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Pennsylvania by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 25 facilities across 16 cities for code 72156, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 10, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 17, 2025 and Oct 28, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Surgical Hospital lowest Washington, PA · (724) 884-0710 MRI CERVICAL SPINE W & W/O CONTRAST+1 more line at this price File of Apr 24, 2026 · source file | $346.18 | $2,527.48 | $328.77–$1,700.00 | 86% |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 MRI SCAN OF UPPER SPINAL CANAL BEFORE AND AFTER CONTRAST File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $1,008.00 | $2,016.00 | $81.84–$787.87 | 50% |
| Armstrong County Memorial Hospital Kittanning, PA MRI SPINAL CANAL CERV COMBINED File of Mar 2, 2026 · source file | $1,072.80 | $3,576.00 | $295.90–$3,576.00 | 70% |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 MRI NECK SPINE W/O & W/DYE File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $1,129.00 | $2,258.00 | $81.84–$787.87 | 50% |
| Excela Health Westmoreland Regional Hospital Greeensburg, PA · (724) 832-4000 MR CERVICAL W/WO CONTRAST File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $1,377.00 | $2,295.00 | $331.69–$3,012.68 | 40% |
| Excela Health - Frick Hospital Mt Plesant, PA · (724) 547-1500 MR CERVICAL W/WO CONTRAST File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $1,377.00 | $2,295.00 | $12.41–$54.74 | 40% |
| Excela Health Latrobe Hospital Latrobe, PA · (724) 832-4000 MR CERVICAL W/WO CONTRAST File of Dec 17, 2025 · source file | $1,377.00 | $2,295.00 | $331.69–$3,012.68 | 40% |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 MRI CERVICAL SPINE W&W/O CONTR File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $2,125.24 | $3,036.05 | $255.36–$2,185.96 | 30% |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 MRI CERV W/WO File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $2,594.40 | $4,324.00 | $1,163.16–$5,299.06 | 40% |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 MRI C SPINE WITH OR WITHOUT+1 more line at this price File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $2,594.40 | $4,324.00 | $1,457.19–$3,372.72 | 40% |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $2,946.00 | $4,910.00 | $309.35–$4,320.80 | 40% |
| Butler Memorial Hospital Butler, PA MRI Cerv Spine w/wo Gad File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $3,524.50 | $5,035.00 | $941.54–$5,286.75 | 30% |
| Allegheny Valley Hospital Natrona Heights, PA · (412) 224-5100 HC MRI CERV SPINE W/WO CNTRST File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $3,712.17 | $4,821.00 | $222.22–$1,085.38 | 23% |
| Canonsburg General Hospital Canonsburg, PA · (724) 745-6100 HC MRI CERV SPINE W/WO CNTRST File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $3,760.38 | $4,821.00 | $221.05–$1,081.37 | 22% |
| Forbes Hospital Monroeville, PA · (412) 858-2000 HC MRI CERV SPINE W/WO CNTRST File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $3,760.38 | $4,821.00 | $196.28–$3,729.00 | 22% |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 578-5000 HC MRI CERV SPINE W/WO CNTRST File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $3,910.61 | $5,357.00 | $244.45–$1,205.53 | 27% |
| Allegheny General Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 359-3131 HC MRI CERV SPINE W/WO CNTRST File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $4,071.32 | $5,357.00 | $240.39–$1,197.52 | 24% |
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PA · (412) 469-5000 HC MRI CERV SPINE W/WO CNTRST File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $4,122.09 | $5,089.00 | $160.38–$1,125.43 | 19% |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $4,748.40 | $7,914.00 | $340.48–$7,122.60 | 40% |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $5,810.40 | $9,684.00 | $293.97–$8,231.40 | 40% |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO File of Mar 7, 2026 · source file | $5,999.40 | $9,999.00 | $316.41–$8,499.15 | 40% |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $6,049.20 | $10,082.00 | $315.59–$8,569.70 | 40% |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $6,218.40 | $10,364.00 | $341.40–$8,291.20 | 40% |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $6,512.40 | $10,854.00 | $283.82–$9,768.60 | 40% |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $6,741.00 | $11,235.00 | $318.66–$10,336.20 | 40% |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $9,808.20 | $16,347.00 | $322.80–$13,894.95 | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $346.18, median $3,760.38, highest $9,808.20 — a 28.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 26 facilities here, median $3,736.28. 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 17 of 25 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 neck MRI with contrast is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Neck MRI with contrast explained.