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

Prices at 77 hospitals in Pennsylvania, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,699 — 3% below the US median ($1,754), roughly 8.6× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center Camp Hill, PA $276 $180 ★ 3/5 250 min 15.3%
Penn State Health St. Joseph Reading, PA $301 $203 ★ 3/5 216 min 15.6%
Physicians Care Surgical Hospital Royersford, PA $316 $427 14.7%
Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, PA $335 $176 ★ 3/5 229 min 15.1%
Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center Enola, PA $364 $195 ★ 4/5 197 min 15.8%
Heritage Valley Beaver Beaver, PA $379 $171 ★ 3/5 185 min 14.5%
Heritage Valley Sewickley Sewickley, PA $379 $171 ★ 4/5 132 min 15.1%
Milton S Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA $383 $208 ★ 4/5 253 min 15.3%
Wellspan York Hospital York, PA $569 $654 ★ 4/5 255 min 14.3%
Gettysburg Hospital Gettysburg, PA $569 $651 ★ 4/5 146 min 13.9%
Wellspan Good Samaritan Hospital Lebanon, PA $569 $284 ★ 5/5 197 min 14.3%
Wellspan Waynesboro Hospital Waynesboro, PA $569 $313 ★ 4/5 140 min 15.2%
Wellspan Chambersburg Hospital Chambersburg, PA $569 $578 ★ 4/5 177 min 14.9%
Wellspan Ephrata Community Hospital Ephrata, PA $569 $631 ★ 5/5 190 min 13.5%
St Clair Hospital Pittsburgh, PA $617 $257 ★ 4/5 195 min 15.5%
Holy Redeemer Hospital and Medical Center Meadowbrook, PA $649 $232 ★ 3/5 197 min 15.6%
Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber Windber, PA $814 $181 ★ 2/5 133 min 15.5%
Acmh Hospital Kittanning, PA $931 $207 ★ 3/5 198 min 15.0%
Phoenixville Hospital Phoenixville, PA $1,009 $452 ★ 3/5 178 min 15.5%
UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA $1,124 $462 ★ 3/5 172 min 15.4%
UPMC Cole Coudersport, PA $1,130 $783 ★ 4/5 151 min 14.9%
Conemaugh Nason Medical Center Roaring Spring, PA $1,217 $503 ★ 5/5 145 min 14.6%
Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center Johnstown, PA $1,217 $503 ★ 2/5 173 min 15.3%
Conemaugh Meyersdale Medical Center Meyersdale, PA $1,217 $503 86 min
Conemaugh Miners Medical Center Hastings, PA $1,217 $503 114 min 15.3%

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)
$4,009
Cash / self-pay
$1,699
Insurer-negotiated
$444
Medicare pays
$197
$260$5,666
Median cash $1,699  ·  Medicare $197  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,699 — about 8.6× 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 $4,009 list price could save about $2,310 (58%).

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 Pennsylvania →