Chest CT, with/without dye cost in Merced, CA
In Merced, CA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for chest CT scan without and with contrast: from $1,296.26 to $5,607.00, with a median of $3,451.63. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Medical Center — $2,155.37 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $3,099.41 at 208 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 71270, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 28, 2026 and Apr 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 Merced, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Medical Center lowest Merced, CA · (209) 564-5000 CT CHEST WO AND W CON | $1,296.26 | $2,517.00 | $226.19–$3,716.00 | 48% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Memorial Hospital Los Banos Los Banos, CA · (209) 826-0591 HCHG CT THORAX DX W/O CNTRST FLWD CNTRST | $5,607.00 | $5,607.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,296.26, median $3,451.63, highest $5,607.00 — a 4.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $5,495.15. 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 the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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
This chest CT takes pictures before and after contrast dye. It is used for some lung and chest wall masses and blood vessel problems that a single scan cannot explain.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the scan and any contrast dye. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.