CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) with contrast cost in Austin, TX

Prices at 10 hospitals in Austin, TX, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,857 — 18% above the US median ($1,580), roughly 11.0× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin Austin, TX $829 $336 ★ 3/5 186 min 14.3%
Dell Seton Med Center at the University of Tx Austin, TX $829 $216 ★ 4/5 233 min 14.9%
Ascension Seton Southwest Austin, TX $829 $278 — 134 min 14.8%
Ascension Seton Northwest Austin, TX $829 $221 ★ 4/5 159 min 14.4%
Dell Children's Medical Center Austin, TX $1,857 $220 — — —
Texas Childrens Hospital North Austin Campus Austin, TX $2,936 $2,761 — — —
St David's Medical Center Austin, TX $3,552 $217 ★ 4/5 161 min 15.0%
St David's South Austin Medical Center Austin, TX $3,552 $828 ★ 3/5 149 min 15.2%
North Austin Medical Center Austin, TX $4,362 $790 ★ 3/5 156 min 14.4%

CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated June 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.

Price comparison (median)

Chargemaster (list price)
$2,654
Cash / self-pay
$1,857
Insurer-negotiated
$250
Medicare pays
$169
$829$3,714
Median cash $1,857  ·  Medicare $169  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,857 — about 11.0× the Medicare rate ($169). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($337).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $2,654 list price could save about $796 (30%).

Estimate what you’ll pay
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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

All CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) with contrast prices in Texas → · All CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) with contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Austin