How much does CT chest, with contrast cost in California?
CPT 71260 — the fair price, every hospital's price, and the Medicare benchmark for California.
Estimates only. Educational estimates from public Medicare
benchmarks and hospital-published prices — not a guarantee, and not legal, medical, or financial advice.
71260 CT chest, with contrast
Ask to pay
$356
About 2.0× what Medicare pays — most hospitals accept a self-pay rate in this range.
Typical
$2,340
Medicare $178
Ask $356
$33 lowboxed = typical rangehigh $24,661
What Medicare paysⓘ
$178
Typical price near you
$2,340
Cash / self-pay price
$2,890
Prices near you — 91 facilities, lowest first
| Facility | Type | Price | vs Medicare | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adventist Health Bakersfield (Bakersfield) lowest ⚠ likely error | Hospital | $33cash | 0.2× | — |
| Adventist Health Glendale (Glendale) ⚠ likely error | Hospital | $36cash | 0.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Eisenhower Medical Center (Rancho Mirage) | Hospital | $112cash | 0.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Centinela Hospital Medical Center (Inglewood) | Hospital | $224cash | 1.3× | — |
| UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center (Santa Monica) | Hospital | $237negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $239negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (Torrance) | Hospital | $242negotiated | 1.4× | — |
| Los Angeles General Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $245negotiated | 1.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach) | Hospital | $292negotiated | 1.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (Pomona) | Hospital | $430cash | 2.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Natividad Medical Center (Salinas) | Hospital | $610cash | 3.4× | — |
| Dignity St. Joseph's Medical Center (Stockton) | Hospital | $613cash | 3.4× | — |
| Adventist Health Simi Valley (Simi Valley) | Hospital | $899cash | 5.0× | — |
| Providence St. Jude Medical Center (Fullerton) | Hospital | $1,290cash | 7.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Bakersfield Memorial Hospital (Bakersfield) | Hospital | $1,479cash | 8.3× | — |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank) | Hospital | $1,495cash | 8.4× | — |
| Providence St. Mary Medical Center (Apple Valley) | Hospital | $1,546cash | 8.7× | — |
| Dignity Mercy General Hospital (Sacramento) | Hospital | $1,548cash | 8.7× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos) | Hospital | $1,558cash | 8.7× | — |
| UCI Health – Placentia Linda (Placentia) | Hospital | $1,558cash | 8.7× | — |
| UCI Medical Center (Orange) | Hospital | $1,558cash | 8.7× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Fountain Valley (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $1,558cash | 8.7× | — |
| Providence Holy Cross Medical Center (Mission Hills) | Hospital | $1,570cash | 8.8× | — |
| Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center (Tarzana) | Hospital | $1,592cash | 8.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence St. Joseph Hospital (Orange) | Hospital | $1,731cash | 9.7× | ★★★★★ |
| UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $1,734cash | 9.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Adventist Health White Memorial (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $1,772cash | 10.0× | — |
| Dignity St. John's Regional Medical Center (Oxnard) | Hospital | $1,775cash | 10.0× | — |
| Providence Little Company of Mary Torrance (Torrance) | Hospital | $1,802cash | 10.1× | ★★★★★ |
| USC Arcadia Hospital (Arcadia) | Hospital | $1,943cash | 10.9× | — |
| Dignity Mercy San Juan Medical Center (Carmichael) | Hospital | $1,945cash | 10.9× | — |
| Tri-City Medical Center (Oceanside) | Hospital | $2,047cash | 11.5× | — |
| John Muir Health Walnut Creek Medical Center (Walnut Creek) | Hospital | $2,111cash | 11.9× | ★★★★★ |
| John Muir Health Concord Medical Center (Concord) | Hospital | $2,111cash | 11.9× | — |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego (San Diego) | Hospital | $2,134cash | 12.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla) | Hospital | $2,134cash | 12.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas (Encinitas) | Hospital | $2,134cash | 12.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $2,134cash | 12.0× | — |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (La Jolla) | Hospital | $2,134cash | 12.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Mission Hospital (Mission Viejo) | Hospital | $2,202cash | 12.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center (Loma Linda) | Hospital | $2,213cash | 12.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Northridge Hospital Medical Center (Northridge) | Hospital | $2,315cash | 13.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente San Diego Zion Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $2,340cash | 13.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $2,340cash | 13.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center (Fontana) | Hospital | $2,340cash | 13.1× | — |
| Dignity St. Bernardine Medical Center (San Bernardino) | Hospital | $2,654cash | 14.9× | — |
| Highland Hospital – Alameda Health System (Oakland) | Hospital | $2,713cash | 15.2× | — |
| Dignity St. Mary Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $2,881cash | 16.2× | — |
| Dignity Sequoia Hospital (Redwood City) | Hospital | $2,899cash | 16.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaweah Health Medical Center (Visalia) | Hospital | $2,942cash | 16.5× | — |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $3,081cash | 17.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $3,081cash | 17.3× | — |
| Sharp Grossmont Hospital (La Mesa) | Hospital | $3,081cash | 17.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital (Coronado) | Hospital | $3,081cash | 17.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Rady Children's Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $3,104cash | 17.4× | — |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley (Pleasanton) | Hospital | $3,111cash | 17.5× | — |
| UC Davis Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $3,146cash | 17.7× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Lakewood (Lakewood) | Hospital | $3,158cash | 17.7× | — |
| Dignity Glendale Memorial Hospital (Glendale) | Hospital | $3,181cash | 17.9× | — |
| Los Robles Health System (Thousand Oaks) | Hospital | $3,264cash | 18.3× | — |
| Clovis Community Medical Center (Clovis) | Hospital | $3,600cash | 20.2× | — |
| Community Regional Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $3,600cash | 20.2× | — |
| Dignity Mercy Medical Center Redding (Redding) | Hospital | $3,686cash | 20.7× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $3,763cash | 21.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $3,763cash | 21.1× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $3,763cash | 21.1× | ★★★★★ |
| UC San Diego Health - Hillcrest & Jacobs Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $3,798cash | 21.3× | — |
| Stanford Health Care (Stanford) | Hospital | $4,050cash | 22.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity California Hospital Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $4,250cash | 23.9× | — |
| Dignity Dominican Hospital (Santa Cruz) | Hospital | $4,724cash | 26.5× | — |
| Keck Hospital of USC (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $5,105cash | 28.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Memorial Medical Center (Modesto) | Hospital | $5,153cash | 28.9× | — |
| Sutter CPMC Van Ness Campus (San Francisco) | Hospital | $5,153cash | 28.9× | — |
| Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (Oakland) | Hospital | $5,153cash | 28.9× | — |
| Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $5,153cash | 28.9× | — |
| Sutter Roseville Medical Center (Roseville) | Hospital | $5,153cash | 28.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame) | Hospital | $5,153cash | 28.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Eden Medical Center (Castro Valley) | Hospital | $5,153cash | 28.9× | — |
| Sutter Medical Center Sacramento (Sacramento) | Hospital | $5,153cash | 28.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $5,232cash | 29.4× | — |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $5,233cash | 29.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center (Napa) | Hospital | $5,547cash | 31.2× | — |
| Desert Regional Medical Center (Palm Springs) | Hospital | $5,938cash | 33.4× | — |
| Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford (Palo Alto) | Hospital | $6,341cash | 35.6× | — |
| MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center (Laguna Hills) | Hospital | $6,483cash | 36.4× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $6,483cash | 36.4× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $6,483cash | 36.4× | — |
| Riverside University Health System Medical Center (Moreno Valley) gross charge | Hospital | $8,424cash | 47.3× | — |
| JFK Memorial Hospital (Indio) gross charge | Hospital | $12,171cash | 68.4× | — |
| Riverside Community Hospital (Riverside) gross charge | Hospital | $17,358cash | 97.5× | — |
| Good Samaritan Hospital (San Jose) gross charge | Hospital | $24,661cash | 138.5× | — |
Prices from each hospital's public machine-readable file; imaging & surgery-center prices are published self-pay rates (often the cheapest option). vs Medicare is how many times the Medicare rate each facility charges. 6 unusually low/high prices excluded from the typical price as likely data errors.
💬 What to say — negotiation scripts
- For 71260 (CT chest, with contrast), Medicare's benchmark rate is $178.02. A fair self-pay target for this line is $356.04. If I was charged more than that, please reduce it toward this benchmark.
- Your own published cash / self-pay price for 71260 is $2,889.77, and negotiated rates at nearby facilities run $1,570.10–$4,250.06. Please apply a rate in that range to my bill rather than the gross charge.
- Please send a fully itemized bill listing every CPT/HCPCS/DRG code and its individual charge, so I can review each line against published rates.
- Separately, what is your financial assistance / charity care policy, and am I eligible? Please send me the application and the income thresholds.
See CT chest, with contrast prices in another area
What should 71260 cost in California?
For CT chest, with contrast (CPT 71260) in California, a fair self-pay price is around $2,340, with hospitals ranging from $1,570 to $4,250 across 91 facilities. Medicare's benchmark rate is $178, the floor to negotiate toward. The card above lists each hospital's price, cheapest first, with CMS quality stars.
Frequently asked questions
How much does CT chest, with contrast cost in California?
A fair self-pay price for CT chest, with contrast (CPT 71260) in California is around $2,340, with hospital prices ranging from $1,570 to $4,250 across 91 facilities. These are estimates from hospital-published prices, not a guarantee.
What is the Medicare rate for CPT 71260?
Medicare pays about $178 for CT chest, with contrast (CPT 71260). That's the negotiation floor — a fair cash-pay target is roughly 1.5–2× it, well below typical gross charges.
Can I negotiate the price of CT chest, with contrast?
Yes. Under the federal Hospital Price Transparency rule hospitals must publish these rates, so you can ask to pay the cash or negotiated rate instead of the gross charge. Paste your bill on the home page for a ready-to-send appeal letter and the exact numbers to cite.
Got a bill for this?
If you were charged more than the fair price, you can usually negotiate it down. Paste your itemized bill to get a personalized appeal letter, the exact numbers to cite, an AI negotiation coach, and a charity-care eligibility check — free.
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Prices last refreshed September 2026 from each hospital's official CMS machine-readable file. Medicare rate: CY2025 OPPS/PFS/CLFS. Estimates only — not a guarantee.