Prices at 6 hospitals in Saint Louis, MO, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $263 — 12% below the US median ($298), roughly 6.5× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri Baptist Medical Center | Saint Louis, MO | $185 | $149 | ★ 5/5 | 252 min | 14.8% |
| Christian Hospital Northeast | Saint Louis, MO | $185 | $169 | ★ 4/5 | 223 min | 14.7% |
| Mercy Hospital South | Saint Louis, MO | $196 | $130 | ★ 2/5 | 246 min | 15.8% |
| Shriners Hospitals for Children | Saint Louis, MO | $329 | $56 | — | — | — |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis | Saint Louis, MO | $350 | $133 | ★ 4/5 | 217 min | 15.1% |
| St Louis Childrens Hospital | Saint Louis, MO | $427 | $502 | — | — | — |
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 July 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 $263 — about 6.5× the Medicare rate ($40). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($81).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $319 list price could save about $56 (18%).
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 Saint Louis
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Rutz, MD | Orthopedic Surgery | Saint Louis, MO | 302 |
| Amy Zippay, M.D. | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | Saint Louis, MO | 173 |
| Resten Imaoka, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 162 |
| Paul Dicamillo, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 158 |
| Vilaas Shetty, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 158 |
| Joanne Lacey, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 148 |
| Kelby Napier, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 144 |
| Ashok Kumar, M.D. | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | Saint Louis, MO | 142 |
| Theodore Vander Velde, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 119 |
| Jordan Gutovich, MD | Neurology | Saint Louis, MO | 109 |
| Jackson Boice, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 101 |
| Mariam Malik, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 100 |
All X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine) (2 views) prices in Missouri → · All X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine) (2 views) prices (national) · All hospitals in Saint Louis