Prices at 6 hospitals in Houston, TX, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $840 — 110% above the US median ($401), roughly 15.7× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tops Surgical Specialty Hospital | Houston, TX | $344 | $147 | — | — | — |
| Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center | Houston, TX | $754 | — | ★ 4/5 | 252 min | — |
| Memorial Hermann Hospital System | Houston, TX | $754 | — | ★ 3/5 | 243 min | — |
| St Luke's Hospital at the Vintage | Houston, TX | $927 | $210 | ★ 4/5 | 209 min | — |
| St Joseph Medical Center | Houston, TX | $1,472 | $131 | ★ 3/5 | 180 min | — |
| Texas Orthopedic Hospital | Houston, TX | $3,053 | $153 | — | 105 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)
Typical cash price here is $840 — about 15.7× the Medicare rate ($53). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($107).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $2,356 list price could save about $1,516 (64%).
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 Houston
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Stuckey, MD | Orthopedic Surgery | Houston, TX | 408 |
| Jeffrey Ratusznik, MD | Orthopedic Surgery | Houston, TX | 216 |
| Linh Pham, D.O. | Diagnostic Radiology | Houston, TX | 203 |
| Roger Selouan, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Houston, TX | 161 |
| Blake Staub, M.D. | Neurosurgery | Houston, TX | 145 |
| Edward Baldwin, MD | Orthopedic Surgery | Houston, TX | 140 |
| David Wimberley | Orthopedic Surgery | Houston, TX | 138 |
| Jonathan Levine, M.E. | Diagnostic Radiology | Houston, TX | 133 |
| Nathan Doyle | Diagnostic Radiology | Houston, TX | 113 |
| Sanjay Singh, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Houston, TX | 104 |
| Kevin Lyu, M.D. | Family Practice | Houston, TX | 94 |
| Prachi Dubey, M.B.B.S | Diagnostic Radiology | Houston, TX | 87 |
All X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine) (4+ views) prices in Texas → · All X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine) (4+ views) prices (national) · All hospitals in Houston