Scans and imaging CPT 71271 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Lung cancer screening CT cost in Columbia, MO — inpatient

In Columbia, MO, 2 hospitals list a cash price for low-dose CT of the chest for lung cancer screening, no contrast dye as an inpatient: from $335.40 to $646.20, with a median of $490.80. The lowest listed price is at Curators of the University of Missouri — $155.40 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $801.45 at 19 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 71271, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 15, 2025 and Apr 1, 2026.

Lowest$335.40Curators of the University of Missouri
Median$490.80half pay less
Highest$646.20in this market
Difference1.9×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Columbia, MO.

median
Lowest $335.40Highest $646.20

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash price List priceInsurers payOff listFile date
Curators of the University of Missouri lowest Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THORAX LOW DOSE CANCER SCREENING-JCT $335.40 $559.00 $195.65–$491.92 40% Dec 15, 2025
source file
Curators of the University of Missouri lowest Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THORAX LOW DOSE CANCER SCREENING-JCTG $335.40 $559.00 $152.05–$491.92 40% Dec 15, 2025
source file
Curators of the University of Missouri lowest Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY, THORAX, LOW DOSE CANCER SCREENING-CM $335.40 $559.00 $195.65–$491.92 40% Dec 15, 2025
source file
Curators of the University of Missouri lowest Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY, THORAX, LOW DOSE CANCER SCREENING-XS $335.40 $559.00 $195.65–$491.92 40% Dec 15, 2025
source file
Curators of the University of Missouri lowest Columbia, MO · (573) 882-4141 COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY, THORAX, LOW DOSE CANCER SCREENING-MOC $335.40 $559.00 $195.65–$491.92 40% Dec 15, 2025
source file
Boone Hospital Center Columbia, MO · (573) 815-8000 CT THORAX LUNG CA SCR WO CONT $646.20 $1,077.00 — 40% Apr 1, 2026
source file

Inpatient: lowest $335.40, median $490.80, highest $646.20 — a 1.9× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $490.80 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

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

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.