Chest CT scan with contrast cost in Joplin, MO
In Joplin, MO-KS, 5 hospitals list a cash price for diagnostic CT scan of the chest, with contrast dye: from $1,250.60 to $1,941.55, with a median of $1,855.35. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital Carthage — $604.75 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $1,574.95 at 24 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 4 cities for code 71260, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 25, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Joplin, MO-KS.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital Carthage lowest Carthage, MO · (417) 358-8121 CT Chest Diag W Cont | $1,250.60 | $1,924.00 | $181.13 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Joplin Joplin, MO · (417) 781-2727 CT Chest Diag W Cont | $1,688.70 | $2,598.00 | $96.02–$1,119.09 | 35% | — source file |
| Freeman Health System - Freeman West Joplin, MO · (417) 347-1111 CT CHEST WITH CONTRAST | $1,855.35 | $4,638.38 | — | 60% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Columbus Columbus, KS · (620) 429-2545 CT Chest Diag W Cont | $1,906.45 | $2,933.00 | $151.76–$626.45 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Specialty Hospital Southeast Kansas Galena, KS · (620) 783-1732 CT Chest Diag W Cont | $1,941.55 | $2,987.00 | $101.17–$1,119.09 | 35% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,250.60, median $1,855.35, highest $1,941.55 — a 1.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $1,855.35. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 0 of 4 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
A chest CT with contrast uses X-rays and dye injected into a vein to make detailed pictures of the lungs, blood vessels, lymph nodes and other chest tissues. It is used to look at masses, enlarged lymph nodes, infections and for cancer staging.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the scan; the contrast agent may appear as a separate line on some bills. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.