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

Prices at 16 hospitals in Montana, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,663 — 5% below the US median ($1,754), roughly 8.5× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Big Horn Hospital Hardin, MT $526 $575 140 min
Benefis Hospitals Inc Great Falls, MT $1,333 $2,110 ★ 2/5 190 min 14.0%
Missouri River Medical Center Fort Benton, MT $1,333 $2,110 107 min
Benefis Teton Medical Center Choteau, MT $1,333 $2,110 92 min
Sidney Health Center Sidney, MT $1,507 $345 ★ 3/5 152 min 14.7%
Billings Clinic Billings, MT $1,663 ★ 4/5 172 min 14.2%
Billings Clinic Broadwater Townsend, MT $1,663 81 min
Rosebud Health Care Center Forsyth, MT $1,929 $1,890 105 min
Clark Fork Valley Hospital Plains, MT $2,144 $2,144 153 min 14.7%
Great Falls Clinic Hospital Great Falls, MT $2,315 $259 ★ 2/5 136 min 15.0%
Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital Bozeman, MT $2,398 $187 ★ 4/5 142 min 14.4%
Dahl Memorial Healthcare Association Inc Ekalaka, MT $2,536 $2,536 121 min 14.6%
Deer Lodge Medical Center Deer Lodge, MT $2,654 $2,802 118 min 15.3%
Bozeman Health Big Sky Medical Center Big Sky, MT $3,357 $187 106 min

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)
$2,221
Cash / self-pay
$1,663
Insurer-negotiated
$1,233
Medicare pays
$197
$848$2,607
Median cash $1,663  ·  Medicare $197  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,663 — about 8.5× 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 $2,221 list price could save about $558 (25%).

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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.

CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) with and without contrast cost in other states

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