Prices at 6 hospitals in Saint Louis, MO, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $356 — 10% below the US median ($396), roughly 6.7× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri Baptist Medical Center | Saint Louis, MO | $316 | $256 | ★ 5/5 | 262 min | — |
| Christian Hospital Northeast | Saint Louis, MO | $316 | $290 | ★ 4/5 | 217 min | — |
| Mercy Hospital South | Saint Louis, MO | $342 | $136 | ★ 2/5 | 254 min | — |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis | Saint Louis, MO | $371 | $136 | ★ 4/5 | 220 min | — |
| Shriners Hospitals for Children | Saint Louis, MO | $552 | $76 | — | — | — |
| St Louis Childrens Hospital | Saint Louis, MO | $583 | $675 | — | — | — |
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 $356 — about 6.7× 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 $539 list price could save about $183 (34%).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vilaas Shetty, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 353 |
| Kelby Napier, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 172 |
| Michael Chabot, DO | Orthopedic Surgery | Saint Louis, MO | 163 |
| Resten Imaoka, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 156 |
| Kurt Eichholz, MD | Neurosurgery | Saint Louis, MO | 124 |
| Gerald Palagallo, M.D. | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 122 |
| Michael Reiter, MD | Orthopedic Surgery | Saint Louis, MO | 96 |
| Theodore Vander Velde, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 92 |
| Sammy Droubi, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 88 |
| Mariam Malik, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 80 |
| Kathryn Storm, PA | Physician Assistant | Saint Louis, MO | 75 |
| Jorge Cabrera Lebron, MD | Diagnostic Radiology | Saint Louis, MO | 67 |
All X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine) (4+ views) prices in Missouri → · All X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine) (4+ views) prices (national) · All hospitals in Saint Louis