How much does CT lumbar spine, without contrast cost in Los Angeles, CA?
CPT 72131 — the fair price, every hospital's price, and the Medicare benchmark for Los Angeles, CA.
| Facility | Type | Price | vs Medicare | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centinela Hospital Medical Center (Inglewood) lowest | 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× | ★★★★★ |
| Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (Torrance) | Hospital | $184negotiated | 1.7× | — |
| Los Angeles General Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $185negotiated | 1.7× | ★★★★★ |
| 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× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center (Tarzana) | Hospital | $1,299cash | 12.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Providence Holy Cross Medical Center (Mission Hills) | Hospital | $1,556cash | 14.6× | — |
| Adventist Health White Memorial (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $1,644cash | 15.5× | — |
| Dignity St. John's Regional Medical Center (Oxnard) | Hospital | $1,734cash | 16.3× | — |
| 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× | — |
| Dignity Glendale Memorial Hospital (Glendale) | Hospital | $2,060cash | 19.4× | — |
| Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center (Burbank) | Hospital | $2,092cash | 19.7× | — |
| Dignity California Hospital Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $2,264cash | 21.3× | — |
| Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $2,860cash | 26.9× | ★★★★★ |
| UCI Health – Lakewood (Lakewood) | Hospital | $3,243cash | 30.5× | — |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $4,337cash | 40.8× | ★★★★★ |
| Keck Hospital of USC (Los Angeles) | Hospital | $4,338cash | 40.8× | ★★★★★ |
| MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center (Long Beach) gross charge | Hospital | $6,934cash | 65.2× | ★★★★★ |
| Los Robles Health System (Thousand Oaks) gross charge | Hospital | $7,553cash | 71.0× | — |
- 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 $1,921.12, and negotiated rates at nearby facilities run $912.14–$2,711.12. 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.
What should 72131 cost in Los Angeles, CA?
For CT lumbar spine, without contrast (CPT 72131) in Los Angeles, CA, a fair self-pay price is around $1,689, with hospitals ranging from $912 to $2,711 across 24 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 Los Angeles, CA?
A fair self-pay price for CT lumbar spine, without contrast (CPT 72131) in Los Angeles, CA is around $1,689, with hospital prices ranging from $912 to $2,711 across 24 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.
Compare other procedures in Los Angeles, CA
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.