CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast cost in Boston, MA

Prices at 4 hospitals in Boston, MA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,709 — 29% above the US median ($1,329), roughly 13.1× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA $490 $245 ★ 2/5 208 min
Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA $1,709 $126 ★ 5/5 288 min
Brigham and Women's Hospital Boston, MA $1,709 $126 ★ 5/5 300 min
The Shriners' Hospital for Children-Boston Boston, MA $3,997 $130

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 September 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)
$2,278
Cash / self-pay
$1,709
Insurer-negotiated
$128
Medicare pays
$130
$856$3,311
Median cash $1,709  ·  Medicare $130  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,709 — about 13.1× the Medicare rate ($130). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($260).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $2,278 list price could save about $570 (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.

Doctors who perform this in Boston

Clinicians who reported the most Medicare volume for this service locally. This reflects Original Medicare activity only and is a volume signal, not a quality ranking.

ClinicianSpecialtyLocationMedicare services
Martin Krupa, M.D.Diagnostic RadiologyBoston, MA184
Nathan Himes, MDDiagnostic RadiologyBoston, MA137
Farahnaz Golriz, M.DDiagnostic RadiologyBoston, MA125
Zuhab QamarDiagnostic RadiologyBoston, MA107
Stuart Pomerantz, MDDiagnostic RadiologyBoston, MA79
Hamid Rajebi, MDDiagnostic RadiologyBoston, MA70
Rohini Nadgir, M.D.Diagnostic RadiologyBoston, MA65
Milan Manchandia, M.D.Diagnostic RadiologyBoston, MA64
Roy Moss, M.D.Diagnostic RadiologyBoston, MA59
Cooper Cain, M.D.Diagnostic RadiologyBoston, MA50
Elizabeth Du, M.D.Diagnostic RadiologyBoston, MA48
Joseph King, M.D.Diagnostic RadiologyBoston, MA42

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All CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast prices in Massachusetts → · All CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Boston