X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine) (4+ views) cost in Bakersfield, CA

Prices at 3 hospitals in Bakersfield, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $325 — 18% below the US median ($396), roughly 6.1× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Mercy Hospital Bakersfield, CA $256 $154 ★ 3/5 193 min —
Kern Medical Center Bakersfield, CA $325 $84 ★ 1/5 306 min —
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield, CA $489 $150 ★ 3/5 240 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)
$1,175
Cash / self-pay
$325
Insurer-negotiated
$150
Medicare pays
$53
$270$456
Median cash $325  ·  Medicare $53  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $325 — about 6.1× 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 $1,175 list price could save about $850 (72%).

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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.

Doctors who perform this in Bakersfield

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.

ClinicianSpecialtyLocationMedicare services
James Cusator, M.DDiagnostic RadiologyBakersfield, CA147
David Suadi, DODiagnostic RadiologyBakersfield, CA114
Johns Liu, M.D.Diagnostic RadiologyBakersfield, CA82
Jorge Del Toro, M.D.Family PracticeBakersfield, CA33
Firooz Amjadi, M.D.Orthopedic SurgeryBakersfield, CA18
Danielle Keller, PA-CPhysician AssistantBakersfield, CA15
Edward Couri, M.D.Diagnostic RadiologyBakersfield, CA15

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All X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine) (4+ views) prices in California → · All X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine) (4+ views) prices (national) · All hospitals in Bakersfield