CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) cost in California

Prices at 179 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,912 — 89% above the US median ($1,543), roughly 17.3× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Sherman Oaks Hospital Sherman Oaks, CA $446 $447 ★ 2/5 140 min —
Ventura County Medical Center Ventura, CA $497 $398 ★ 2/5 178 min —
Community Memorial Hospital-Ventura Ventura, CA $497 $398 ★ 4/5 190 min —
Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, CA $500 $332 ★ 4/5 194 min —
Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA $500 $332 ★ 5/5 186 min —
Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA $500 $332 ★ 5/5 — —
Scripps Memorial Hospital-Encinitas Encinitas, CA $500 $332 ★ 4/5 200 min —
Healdsburg Hospital Healdsburg, CA $628 $783 — 94 min —
St Mary Medical Center Long Beach, CA $746 $330 ★ 5/5 150 min —
Jerold Phelps Community Hospital Garberville, CA $863 — — 149 min —
Kaweah Health Medical Center Visalia, CA $894 $1,014 ★ 3/5 254 min —
UCI Health-Los Alamitos Los Alamitos, CA $966 $333 ★ 1/5 238 min —
Colorado River Medical Center Needles, CA $1,098 — — 121 min —
UCI Health-Orange Orange, CA $1,104 $333 ★ 4/5 318 min —
UCI Health-Fountain Valley Fountain Valley, CA $1,104 $333 ★ 2/5 158 min —
Adventist Health Tulare Tulare, CA $1,119 $192 ★ 3/5 198 min —
San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Banning, CA $1,124 $247 ★ 3/5 194 min —
Antelope Valley Hospital Lancaster, CA $1,155 $447 ★ 1/5 264 min —
Kern Medical Center Bakersfield, CA $1,175 $327 ★ 1/5 306 min —
El Camino Health Mountain View, CA $1,183 — ★ 4/5 163 min —
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Brawley, CA $1,211 $226 ★ 3/5 191 min —
St Rose Hospital Hayward, CA $1,300 $464 ★ 1/5 160 min —
L a Downtown Medical Center Los Angeles, CA $1,329 — ★ 3/5 — —
Mercy Medical Center Merced, CA $1,400 $524 ★ 3/5 224 min —
Saint Agnes Medical Center Fresno, CA $1,429 $46 ★ 2/5 240 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 October 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)
$5,485
Cash / self-pay
$2,912
Insurer-negotiated
$476
Medicare pays
$169
$497$5,824
Median cash $2,912  ·  Medicare $169  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $2,912 — about 17.3× the Medicare rate ($169). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($337).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $5,485 list price could save about $2,573 (47%).

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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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CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) cost in other states

All CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) prices (national) → · All hospitals in California →