Prices at 5 hospitals in Birmingham, AL, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $371 — 6% below the US median ($396), roughly 6.9× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Children's Hospital of Alabama | Birmingham, AL | $201 | $371 | — | — | — |
| St. Vincent's East | Birmingham, AL | $371 | $110 | ★ 3/5 | 158 min | — |
| St Vincent's Birmingham | Birmingham, AL | $371 | $110 | ★ 3/5 | 243 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)
Typical cash price here is $371 — about 6.9× 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 $1,003 list price could save about $632 (63%).
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 Birmingham
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Recknor, CRNP | Nurse Practitioner | Birmingham, AL | 237 |
| Perry Savage, M.D. | Orthopedic Surgery | Birmingham, AL | 194 |
| William Craig, M.D. | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | Birmingham, AL | 105 |
| Robert Robinson, MD | Neurosurgery | Birmingham, AL | 89 |
| Bradly Goodman, M.D. | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | Birmingham, AL | 88 |
| Gregory Gullung, MD | Orthopedic Surgery | Birmingham, AL | 83 |
| Daniel Kim, MD | Orthopedic Surgery | Birmingham, AL | 82 |
| Blake Pearson, MD | Neurosurgery | Birmingham, AL | 74 |
| Srinivas Mallempati, M.D. | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | Birmingham, AL | 65 |
| Kenneth Smith, DO | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | Birmingham, AL | 56 |
| Kyle Schuller, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Birmingham, AL | 42 |
| Tyler Marshall, M.D. | Orthopedic Surgery | Birmingham, AL | 36 |
All X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine) (4+ views) prices in Alabama → · All X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine) (4+ views) prices (national) · All hospitals in Birmingham