CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast cost in Washington DC

Prices at 3 hospitals in Washington DC, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,788 — 35% above the US median ($1,329), roughly 13.8× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Medstar Washington Hospital Center Washington, DC $1,778 $766 ★ 3/5 377 min
Medstar Georgetown University Hospital Washington, DC $1,788 $770 ★ 3/5 365 min
Howard University Hospital Corp Washington, DC $2,290 $513 ★ 1/5 222 min

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)
$2,750
Cash / self-pay
$1,788
Insurer-negotiated
$766
Medicare pays
$130
$1,780$2,190
Median cash $1,788  ·  Medicare $130  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,788 — about 13.8× 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 $2,750 list price could save about $963 (35%).

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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.

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