CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) with contrast Cost in Winston-salem, NC

Prices at 3 hospitals in Winston-salem, NC, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,986 — 24% above the US median ($1,601), roughly 11.8× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

See negotiated rates for your insurer:

Hospital	Location	Cash	Insurer	CMS rating	ER wait	Readmit
Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center	Winston-salem, NC	$1,469	$464	★ 4/5	197 min	14.2%
North Carolina Baptist Hospital	Winston-salem, NC	$2,504	$1,645	★ 4/5	187 min	15.1%

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 August 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)

$3,728

Cash / self-pay

$1,986

Insurer-negotiated

$464

Medicare pays

$169

$1,572$2,400

Median cash $1,986 · Medicare $169 · bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)

Is this a fair price?

1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,986 — about 11.8× 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 $3,728 list price could save about $1,742 (47%).

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.

Doctors who perform this in Winston-salem

Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.

Clinician	Specialty	Location	Medicare services
Kevin Hiatt, MD	Diagnostic Radiology	Winston Salem, NC	59
William Malouf, MD	Diagnostic Radiology	Winston Salem, NC	55
Daniel Williams, MD	Diagnostic Radiology	Winston Salem, NC	40
Christopher Lack, M.D. PH.D.	Family Practice	Winston Salem, NC	35
Jeffrey Sachs, M.D.	Diagnostic Radiology	Winston Salem, NC	30
Michael Reardon, M.D.	Diagnostic Radiology	Winston Salem, NC	11

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All CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) with contrast prices in North Carolina → · All CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) with contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Winston-salem