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

Prices at 9 hospitals in Baltimore, MD, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $368 — 79% below the US median ($1,754), roughly 1.9× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
University of Maryland Medical Center Baltimore, MD $271 — ★ 3/5 330 min 14.3%
Medstar Good Samaritan Hospital Baltimore, MD $302 $308 ★ 3/5 234 min 14.9%
Greater Baltimore Medical Center Baltimore, MD $313 $320 ★ 5/5 231 min 13.5%
Medstar Harbor Hospital Baltimore, MD $327 $333 ★ 4/5 208 min 13.7%
Umd Rehabilitation & Orthopaedic Institute Baltimore, MD $368 — — — —
Medstar Union Memorial Hospital Baltimore, MD $377 $385 ★ 5/5 216 min 13.5%
Mercy Medical Center Inc Baltimore, MD $397 — ★ 3/5 242 min 15.5%
VA Maryland Healthcare System-Baltimore Baltimore, MD $397 — ★ 2/5 — 17.2%
University of Md Medical Center Midtown Campus Baltimore, MD $609 — ★ 3/5 246 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)
$376
Cash / self-pay
$368
Insurer-negotiated
$326
Medicare pays
$197
$295$439
Median cash $368  ·  Medicare $197  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $368 — about 1.9× the Medicare rate ($197). Reasonable. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($393).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $376 list price could save about $8 (2%).

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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 Maryland → · All CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) with and without contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Baltimore