CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) with and without contrast cost in Austin, TX

Prices at 10 hospitals in Austin, TX, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,841 — 62% above the US median ($1,754), roughly 14.4× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin Austin, TX $1,382 $237 ★ 3/5 186 min 14.3%
Dell Seton Med Center at the University of Tx Austin, TX $1,382 $253 ★ 4/5 233 min 14.9%
Ascension Seton Southwest Austin, TX $1,382 $237 — 134 min 14.8%
Ascension Seton Northwest Austin, TX $1,382 $237 ★ 4/5 159 min 14.4%
Dell Children's Medical Center Austin, TX $2,841 $253 — — —
Texas Childrens Hospital North Austin Campus Austin, TX $2,877 $2,705 — — —
St David's Medical Center Austin, TX $4,105 $219 ★ 4/5 161 min 15.0%
St David's South Austin Medical Center Austin, TX $4,105 $409 ★ 3/5 149 min 15.2%
North Austin Medical Center Austin, TX $4,540 $800 ★ 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)
$4,059
Cash / self-pay
$2,841
Insurer-negotiated
$253
Medicare pays
$197
$1,382$4,192
Median cash $2,841  ·  Medicare $197  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $2,841 — about 14.4× the Medicare rate ($197). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($393).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $4,059 list price could save about $1,218 (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 and without contrast prices in Texas → · All CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) with and without contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Austin