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

Prices at 11 hospitals in New Mexico, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,826 — 4% above the US median ($1,754), roughly 9.3× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Unm Hospital Albuquerque, NM $1,402 $173 ★ 2/5 279 min 15.3%
Lovelace Medical Center Albuquerque, NM $1,546 $2,577 ★ 2/5 217 min 14.9%
Lovelace Women's Hospital Albuquerque, NM $1,546 $2,577 ★ 4/5 199 min 14.0%
Lovelace Westside Hospital Albuquerque, NM $1,546 $2,577 ★ 4/5 154 min 15.2%
Lovelace Regional Hospital-Roswell Roswell, NM $1,546 $2,577 ★ 2/5 126 min 15.3%
Gila Regional Medical Center Silver City, NM $1,826 $631 ★ 2/5 184 min 15.1%
Guadalupe County Hospital Santa Rosa, NM $1,970 $662
Sierra Vista Hospital T Or C, NM $2,250 $400 171 min 15.2%
Holy Cross Hospital a Div of Taos Health Systems Taos, NM $2,313 ★ 1/5 98 min 14.7%
Artesia General Hospital Artesia, NM $2,455 $1,637 101 min 15.0%
Memorial Medical Center Las Cruces, NM $2,781 $1,668 ★ 2/5 204 min 15.4%

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)
$4,092
Cash / self-pay
$1,826
Insurer-negotiated
$1,652
Medicare pays
$197
$1,546$2,455
Median cash $1,826  ·  Medicare $197  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,826 — about 9.3× 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 $4,092 list price could save about $2,266 (55%).

Estimate what you’ll pay
Quick fill:

Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

By city

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 New Mexico →