MRI Cervical Spine Cost in Missouri
Mri neck spine w/o dye
Missouri Medicare physician rate (2026)
-6.0% vs nationalAverage of 3 localities. Office range $171.41–$184.04.
Your ZIP in Missouri
Enter a ZIP code to see which Missouri locality covers you: metro St. Louis, metro Kansas City, or rest-of-state areas like Springfield, Columbia, Joplin, and the Bootheel.
What this number is
The figures on this page are 2026 Medicare physician allowed amounts for a specific CPT code: the professional fee, adjusted by geographic practice-cost indices. They are not a hospital chargemaster price, not your insurer's contracted rate, and not a quote. Hospital facility fees, anesthesia, implants, imaging reads, and pathology are billed separately when they apply.
National vs Missouri
Where Missouri ranks for this CPT
CPT 72141 by Missouri locality
| Locality | Office |
|---|---|
| metropolitan st. louis | $184.04 |
| metropolitan kansas city | $182.15 |
| rest of missouri | $171.41 |
PE GPCI ranges from 0.862 to 0.952 in Missouri. That index is why the same CPT is not one price statewide.
MRI Cervical Spine and how Missouri is priced
Missouri is a three-locality state: metropolitan St. Louis and metropolitan Kansas City are each priced separately, and everywhere else falls into a rest-of-state locality with lower geographic adjustments. Both metro localities approve higher amounts than outstate Missouri, and the Kansas City locality applies only to the Missouri side of that metro, since the Kansas side prices under Kansas's statewide locality. Springfield, Columbia, and the rural counties all share rest-of-state factors. The metro-versus-outstate gap is the main pricing story here.
St. Louis and Kansas City hold the state's academic medical centers and most of its specialty depth, drawing patients from far beyond Missouri's borders, including southern Illinois and eastern Kansas. Outstate Missouri is served by regional hubs in Springfield, Columbia, and Cape Girardeau, with the Ozarks and Bootheel among the harder places to reach specialty care. Rural hospital viability has been a persistent concern across the state.
This procedure: A cervical spine MRI without contrast images the neck portion of the spine, showing discs, nerve roots, and the spinal cord itself. It is the standard test for neck pain radiating into the arm, numb or weak hands, or suspected spinal cord compression. You lie on your back with your head in a cradle for 20 to 40 minutes of loud scanning; holding still is essential because neck images blur easily with swallowing and motion.
What Is MRI Cervical Spine?
A cervical spine MRI without contrast images the neck portion of the spine, showing discs, nerve roots, and the spinal cord itself. It is the standard test for neck pain radiating into the arm, numb or weak hands, or suspected spinal cord compression. You lie on your back with your head in a cradle for 20 to 40 minutes of loud scanning; holding still is essential because neck images blur easily with swallowing and motion.
What Affects the Cost
- The spread between hospital and freestanding center prices for spine MRI is among the widest in outpatient imaging.
- If arm symptoms suggest a problem beyond the neck, a shoulder MRI or nerve conduction study may be ordered too, each fully billed.
- Motion-degraded images sometimes force repeat sequences or a rescan, which can generate additional charges at some facilities.
- Contrast is added for suspected infection, tumor, or after spine surgery, converting the study to a pricier code.
- The radiologist's professional fee is a separate component from the scan itself.
Questions to Ask Before Booking
- 1.Has prior authorization been approved, and did my chart document the conservative care my insurer requires?
- 2.What does this scan cost at the freestanding centers my plan prefers?
- 3.Is there any chance you will also want a lumbar or shoulder MRI, and can they be authorized together?
- 4.Is contrast needed for my situation, and how would that change the price?
- 5.Is the radiologist reading included in the quoted amount?
Other featured procedures in Missouri
MRI Cervical Spine in other states
MRI Cervical Spine in Missouri: questions
How much does mri cervical spine cost in Missouri?
The 2026 Medicare physician office rate for CPT 72141 averages $179.20 across 3 Missouri localities, from $171.41 in REST OF MISSOURI to $184.04 in METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS. The hospital physician rate averages $179.20. Enter a ZIP for the exact locality.
Does the rate change inside Missouri?
Yes. CMS splits Missouri into 3 payment localities. For this CPT the office physician fee spans $12.63 from the lowest to highest locality. Enter a ZIP code to see which Missouri locality covers you: metro St. Louis, metro Kansas City, or rest-of-state areas like Springfield, Columbia, Joplin, and the Bootheel.
What will a Medicare patient owe for the physician fee?
After the Part B deductible, coinsurance is usually 20% of the allowed amount: about $36 for the office physician line or $36 for the hospital physician line in Missouri. Medigap may cover that 20%. This is not the hospital facility fee.
Is this the full mri cervical spine bill in Missouri?
No. $179.20 is the Medicare physician allowed amount for CPT 72141. Anesthesia, facility fees, implants, and other CPT codes billed the same day are extra. Missouri ranks #15 of 51 states on this physician line (6% below the national office rate of $190.72).