How much does CT lumbar spine, without contrast cost in California?
CPT 72131 — 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.
72131 CT lumbar spine, without contrast
Ask to pay
$213
About 2.0× what Medicare pays — most hospitals accept a self-pay rate in this range.
Typical
$2,060
Medicare $106
Ask $213
$67 lowboxed = typical rangehigh $21,071
What Medicare paysⓘ
$106
Typical price near you
$2,060
Cash / self-pay price
$2,264
Prices near you — 92 facilities, lowest first
| Facility | Type | Price | vs Medicare | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eisenhower Medical Center (Rancho Mirage) lowest | Hospital | $67cash | 0.6× | ★★★★★ |
| Centinela Hospital Medical Center (Inglewood) | Hospital | $133cash | 1.3× | — |
| UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center (Santa Monica) | Hospital | $141negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $143negotiated | 1.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Natividad Medical Center (Salinas) | Hospital | $156cash | 1.5× | — |
| Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach) | Hospital | $178negotiated | 1.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (Torrance) | Hospital | $184negotiated | 1.7× | — |
| Los Angeles General Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $185negotiated | 1.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center (Pomona) | Hospital | $350cash | 3.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $480cash | 4.5× | — |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas (Encinitas) | Hospital | $480cash | 4.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla (La Jolla) | Hospital | $480cash | 4.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego (San Diego) | Hospital | $480cash | 4.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla) | Hospital | $480cash | 4.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity St. Joseph's Medical Center (Stockton) | Hospital | $530cash | 5.0× | — |
| Adventist Health Bakersfield (Bakersfield) | Hospital | $604cash | 5.7× | — |
| UCI Health – Fountain Valley (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $829cash | 7.8× | — |
| UCI Health – Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos) | Hospital | $829cash | 7.8× | — |
| UCI Health – Placentia Linda (Placentia) | Hospital | $829cash | 7.8× | — |
| UCI Medical Center (Orange) | Hospital | $829cash | 7.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Adventist Health Simi Valley (Simi Valley) | Hospital | $901cash | 8.5× | — |
| Dignity St. Mary Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $945cash | 8.9× | — |
| Adventist Health Glendale (Glendale) | Hospital | $1,002cash | 9.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Mercy General Hospital (Sacramento) | Hospital | $1,078cash | 10.1× | ★★★★★ |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center – Murrieta (Murrieta) | Hospital | $1,125cash | 10.6× | — |
| Providence St. Jude Medical Center (Fullerton) | Hospital | $1,155cash | 10.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence St. Mary Medical Center (Apple Valley) | Hospital | $1,204cash | 11.3× | — |
| Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center (Tarzana) | Hospital | $1,299cash | 12.2× | ★★★★★ |
| UCSF Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $1,324cash | 12.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity St. Bernardine Medical Center (San Bernardino) | Hospital | $1,324cash | 12.5× | — |
| Dignity Mercy San Juan Medical Center (Carmichael) | Hospital | $1,355cash | 12.7× | — |
| Providence St. Joseph Hospital (Orange) | Hospital | $1,401cash | 13.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Holy Cross Medical Center (Mission Hills) | Hospital | $1,556cash | 14.6× | — |
| Adventist Health White Memorial (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $1,644cash | 15.5× | — |
| UC San Diego Health - Hillcrest & Jacobs Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $1,673cash | 15.7× | — |
| Tri-City Medical Center (Oceanside) | Hospital | $1,687cash | 15.9× | — |
| Dignity St. John's Regional Medical Center (Oxnard) | Hospital | $1,734cash | 16.3× | — |
| Providence Mission Hospital (Mission Viejo) | Hospital | $1,773cash | 16.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Bakersfield Memorial Hospital (Bakersfield) | Hospital | $1,776cash | 16.7× | — |
| UC Davis Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $1,788cash | 16.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Little Company of Mary Torrance (Torrance) | Hospital | $1,803cash | 17.0× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Northridge Hospital Medical Center (Northridge) | Hospital | $1,876cash | 17.6× | ★★★★★ |
| USC Arcadia Hospital (Arcadia) | Hospital | $1,966cash | 18.5× | — |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center (Loma Linda) | Hospital | $2,044cash | 19.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Glendale Memorial Hospital (Glendale) | Hospital | $2,060cash | 19.4× | — |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank) | Hospital | $2,092cash | 19.7× | — |
| John Muir Health Walnut Creek Medical Center (Walnut Creek) | Hospital | $2,252cash | 21.2× | ★★★★★ |
| John Muir Health Concord Medical Center (Concord) | Hospital | $2,252cash | 21.2× | — |
| Dignity California Hospital Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $2,264cash | 21.3× | — |
| Highland Hospital – Alameda Health System (Oakland) | Hospital | $2,283cash | 21.5× | — |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley (Pleasanton) | Hospital | $2,322cash | 21.8× | — |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center (Chula Vista) | Hospital | $2,412cash | 22.7× | — |
| Sharp Grossmont Hospital (La Mesa) | Hospital | $2,412cash | 22.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $2,412cash | 22.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital (Coronado) | Hospital | $2,412cash | 22.7× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaweah Health Medical Center (Visalia) | Hospital | $2,572cash | 24.2× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Diego Zion Medical Center (San Diego) | Hospital | $2,860cash | 26.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $2,860cash | 26.9× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center (Fontana) | Hospital | $2,860cash | 26.9× | — |
| Dignity Sequoia Hospital (Redwood City) | Hospital | $2,921cash | 27.5× | ★★★★★ |
| Clovis Community Medical Center (Clovis) | Hospital | $3,000cash | 28.2× | — |
| Community Regional Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $3,000cash | 28.2× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center (San Francisco) | Hospital | $3,231cash | 30.4× | ★★★★★ |
| Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center (Fresno) | Hospital | $3,231cash | 30.4× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center (Sacramento) | Hospital | $3,231cash | 30.4× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Lakewood (Lakewood) | Hospital | $3,243cash | 30.5× | — |
| Rady Children's Hospital (San Diego) | Hospital | $3,483cash | 32.8× | — |
| Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $3,693cash | 34.7× | — |
| Dignity Mercy Medical Center Redding (Redding) | Hospital | $3,861cash | 36.3× | — |
| Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford (Palo Alto) | Hospital | $4,323cash | 40.7× | — |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $4,337cash | 40.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Keck Hospital of USC (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $4,338cash | 40.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Dignity Dominican Hospital (Santa Cruz) | Hospital | $4,389cash | 41.3× | — |
| Stanford Health Care (Stanford) | Hospital | $4,609cash | 43.3× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter CPMC Van Ness Campus (San Francisco) | Hospital | $4,803cash | 45.2× | — |
| Sutter Roseville Medical Center (Roseville) | Hospital | $4,803cash | 45.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (Oakland) | Hospital | $4,803cash | 45.2× | — |
| Sutter Medical Center Sacramento (Sacramento) | Hospital | $4,803cash | 45.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Memorial Medical Center (Modesto) | Hospital | $4,803cash | 45.2× | — |
| Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital (Santa Rosa) | Hospital | $4,803cash | 45.2× | — |
| Sutter Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (Burlingame) | Hospital | $4,803cash | 45.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Sutter Eden Medical Center (Castro Valley) | Hospital | $4,803cash | 45.2× | — |
| Desert Regional Medical Center (Palm Springs) | Hospital | $5,176cash | 48.7× | — |
| Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center (Napa) | Hospital | $5,684cash | 53.5× | — |
| MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center (Long Beach) | Hospital | $6,934cash | 65.2× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center (Fountain Valley) | Hospital | $6,934cash | 65.2× | — |
| MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center (Laguna Hills) | Hospital | $6,934cash | 65.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Los Robles Health System (Thousand Oaks) | Hospital | $7,553cash | 71.0× | — |
| JFK Memorial Hospital (Indio) | Hospital | $8,010cash | 75.3× | — |
| Riverside University Health System Medical Center (Moreno Valley) gross charge | Hospital | $9,832cash | 92.5× | — |
| Riverside Community Hospital (Riverside) gross charge | Hospital | $14,900cash | 140.1× | — |
| Good Samaritan Hospital (San Jose) gross charge | Hospital | $21,071cash | 198.1× | — |
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. 3 unusually low/high prices excluded from the typical price as likely data errors.
💬 What to say — negotiation scripts
- For 72131 (CT lumbar spine, without contrast), Medicare's benchmark rate is $106.34. A fair self-pay target for this line is $212.68. If I was charged more than that, please reduce it toward this benchmark.
- Your own published cash / self-pay price for 72131 is $2,264.47, and negotiated rates at nearby facilities run $1,021.34–$4,207.45. 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 lumbar spine, without contrast prices in another area
What should 72131 cost in California?
For CT lumbar spine, without contrast (CPT 72131) in California, a fair self-pay price is around $2,060, with hospitals ranging from $1,021 to $4,207 across 92 facilities. Medicare's benchmark rate is $106, 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 lumbar spine, without contrast cost in California?
A fair self-pay price for CT lumbar spine, without contrast (CPT 72131) in California is around $2,060, with hospital prices ranging from $1,021 to $4,207 across 92 facilities. These are estimates from hospital-published prices, not a guarantee.
What is the Medicare rate for CPT 72131?
Medicare pays about $106 for CT lumbar spine, without contrast (CPT 72131). 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 lumbar spine, without 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.