Prices at 5 hospitals in Nashville, TN, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $6,359 — 379% above the US median ($1,329), roughly 48.9× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Nashville General Hospital | Nashville, TN | $1,353 | $44 | ★ 4/5 | 134 min | 14.7% |
| Tristar Southern Hills Medical Center | Nashville, TN | $6,359 | $1,190 | ★ 4/5 | 124 min | 14.8% |
| Tristar Skyline Medical Center | Nashville, TN | $8,091 | $459 | ★ 2/5 | 173 min | 14.1% |
| Tristar Centennial Medical Center | Nashville, TN | $9,083 | $3,461 | ★ 4/5 | 115 min | 14.3% |
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 August 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)
Typical cash price here is $6,359 — about 48.9× the Medicare rate ($130). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($260).
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 Nashville
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.
| Clinician | Specialty | Location | Medicare services |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ronald Waters, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Nashville, TN | 189 |
| Kevin Diehl, D.O. | Diagnostic Radiology | Nashville, TN | 186 |
| Nataliya Plyushcheva, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Nashville, TN | 147 |
| Paul Sander, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Nashville, TN | 89 |
| Ranjit Bagga, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Nashville, TN | 88 |
| Terrence Barrett, DO | Diagnostic Radiology | Nashville, TN | 86 |
| Pradeep Jacob, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Nashville, TN | 77 |
| Clarence Smith, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Nashville, TN | 76 |
| Daniel Starnes, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Nashville, TN | 60 |
| Brian Berger, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Nashville, TN | 60 |
| Bao Bui, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Nashville, TN | 36 |
| Peter Shanahan, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Nashville, TN | 35 |
All CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast prices in Tennessee → · All CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Nashville