Lung cancer screening CT cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 7 hospitals list a cash price for low-dose CT of the chest for lung cancer screening, no contrast dye: from $138.55 to $1,096.20, with a median of $288.40. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center South — $149.85 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $372.59 at 16 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 5 cities for code 71271, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Medical Center South lowest Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC CT Thorax Lung Cancer Scr C- | $138.55 | $307.89 | $118.56–$394.86 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC CT Thorax Lung Cancer Scr C- | $157.45 | $349.89 | $114.30–$1,108.00 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC CT Thorax Lung Cancer Scr C- | $198.00 | $440.00 | $62.30–$512.54 | 55% | — source file |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC CT Thorax Low Dose Screen | $288.40 | $412.00 | $62.30–$446.18 | 30% | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC Low Dose CT Lung Screening | $850.00 | $850.00 | $99.41–$850.00 | — | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC Computed Tomography Thorax Lw Dose Lng Ca Sr | $850.00 | $850.00 | $99.41–$1,071.00 | — | — source file |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC CT Thorax Low Dose Screen | $1,040.20 | $1,486.00 | $60.80–$1,841.00 | 30% | — source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC CT Thorax Low Dose Screen | $1,096.20 | $1,566.00 | $62.30–$1,948.00 | 30% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $138.55, median $288.40, highest $1,096.20 — a 7.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $288.40. 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 6 of 7 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 low-dose CT for lung cancer screening uses a lower amount of radiation to look for early lung cancer in people without symptoms. It is offered to certain adults based on their age and smoking history, usually as a yearly scan.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the low-dose scan. The radiologist's reading may be billed separately, and a shared decision-making visit with a clinician is billed as its own service.