Prices at 8 hospitals in Sacramento, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $3,231 — 143% above the US median ($1,329), roughly 24.9× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy General Hospital | Sacramento, CA | $1,078 | $414 | ★ 3/5 | 171 min | 14.7% |
| Methodist Hospital of Sacramento | Sacramento, CA | $1,424 | $522 | ★ 3/5 | 185 min | 15.2% |
| University of California Davis Medical Center | Sacramento, CA | $2,249 | $249 | ★ 4/5 | 359 min | 15.2% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital-Sacramento | Sacramento, CA | $3,231 | $191 | ★ 4/5 | — | 15.8% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hosp So Sacramento | Sacramento, CA | $3,231 | $191 | ★ 2/5 | — | 15.8% |
| Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern Calif | Sacramento, CA | $4,291 | $178 | — | — | — |
| Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento | Sacramento, CA | $4,803 | $1,392 | ★ 4/5 | 189 min | 14.9% |
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 $3,231 — about 24.9× 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 $4,945 list price could save about $1,714 (35%).
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 Sacramento
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Himaja Peddi, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Sacramento, CA | 153 |
| Govind Mukundan, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Sacramento, CA | 125 |
| Narasimhachari Raghavan, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Sacramento, CA | 120 |
| Arthur Dublin, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Sacramento, CA | 119 |
| Jeffrey Kuo, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Sacramento, CA | 101 |
| Cam Chau, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Sacramento, CA | 77 |
| Letizia Antonietti, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Sacramento, CA | 75 |
| Calvin Wang, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Sacramento, CA | 72 |
| Michael Larson, M.D., PH.D | Diagnostic Radiology | Sacramento, CA | 63 |
| Sunita Saith, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Sacramento, CA | 56 |
| Rajkamal Khangura, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Sacramento, CA | 54 |
| Ghaneh Fananapazir, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Sacramento, CA | 54 |
All CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast prices in California → · All CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast prices (national) · All hospitals in Sacramento