CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) with contrast cost in Los Angeles, CA

Prices at 7 hospitals in Los Angeles, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $3,686 — 133% above the US median ($1,580), roughly 21.9× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
L a Downtown Medical Center Los Angeles, CA $1,404 ★ 3/5 19.1%
Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA $2,912 $397 ★ 5/5 15.2%
Kaiser Foundation Hospital-West La Los Angeles, CA $2,912 $397 ★ 3/5 15.6%
California Hospital Medical Center La Los Angeles, CA $4,461 $499 ★ 2/5 254 min 15.4%
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA $5,233 $1,108 ★ 5/5 369 min 14.3%
East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital Los Angeles, CA $5,601 $721 ★ 1/5 179 min 14.9%

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)
$5,600
Cash / self-pay
$3,686
Insurer-negotiated
$610
Medicare pays
$169
$2,158$5,417
Median cash $3,686  ·  Medicare $169  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $3,686 — about 21.9× 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 $5,600 list price could save about $1,914 (34%).

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 California → · All CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) with contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Los Angeles