Neck MRI with contrast cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 16 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the neck (cervical spine) without and with contrast: from $1,008.00 to $9,808.20, with a median of $4,435.25. The lowest listed price is at Uniontown Hospital — $3,427.25 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $2,854.80 at 64 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 10 cities for code 72156, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 25, 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 UPPER SPINAL CANAL BEFORE AND AFTER CONTRAST | $1,008.00 | $2,016.00 | $81.84–$787.87 | 50% | — source file |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 MRI NECK SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $1,129.00 | $2,258.00 | $81.84–$787.87 | 50% | — source file |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 MRI CERVICAL SPINE W&W/O CONTR | $2,125.24 | $3,036.05 | $255.36–$2,185.96 | 30% | — source file |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 MRI CERV W/WO | $2,594.40 | $4,324.00 | $1,163.16–$5,299.06 | 40% | — source file |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 MRI C SPINE WITH OR WITHOUT | $2,594.40 | $4,324.00 | $1,457.19–$3,372.72 | 40% | — source file |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 MRI CERV W/WO CONTRAST | $2,594.40 | $4,324.00 | $1,457.19–$3,372.72 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO | $2,946.00 | $4,910.00 | $309.35–$4,320.80 | 40% | — source file |
| AHN Wexford Hospital Wexford, PA · (412) 295-3319 HC MRI CERV SPINE W/WO CNTRST | $3,765.86 | $5,089.00 | $196.28–$1,141.45 | 26% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 578-5000 HC MRI CERV SPINE W/WO CNTRST | $3,910.61 | $5,357.00 | $244.45–$1,205.53 | 27% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PA · (412) 469-5000 HC MRI CERV SPINE W/WO CNTRST | $4,122.09 | $5,089.00 | $160.38–$1,125.43 | 19% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO | $4,748.40 | $7,914.00 | $340.48–$7,122.60 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO | $5,810.40 | $9,684.00 | $293.97–$8,231.40 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO | $5,999.40 | $9,999.00 | $316.41–$8,499.15 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO | $6,049.20 | $10,082.00 | $315.59–$8,569.70 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO | $6,218.40 | $10,364.00 | $341.40–$8,291.20 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO | $6,512.40 | $10,854.00 | $283.82–$9,768.60 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO | $6,741.00 | $11,235.00 | $318.66–$10,336.20 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 MR SP CANAL CERVICAL W WO | $9,808.20 | $16,347.00 | $322.80–$13,894.95 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,008.00, median $4,435.25, highest $9,808.20 — a 9.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 15 facilities here, median $4,748.40. 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 12 of 16 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.
3 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 72156 ($2,506.90). 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 CERVICAL W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $58.14 | file |
| AHN Wexford Hospital Wexford, PACHG MRI SPINAL CANAL CERVICAL W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $79.56 | file |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PACHG MRI SPINAL CANAL CERVICAL W/O & W/CONTR MATRL | $82.62 | file |