Scans and imaging CPT 72070 Outpatient

Mid back X-ray cost in St. Louis, MO

In St. Louis, MO-IL, 17 hospitals list a cash price for X-ray of the mid back (thoracic spine), 2 views: from $89.90 to $694.00, with a median of $280.80. The lowest listed price is at Community Hospital of Staunton — $190.90 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $251.88 at 62 hospitals.

  • The median here, $280.80, is about the same as the US median of $278.20.
  • That is 2.6× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($106.81).
  • St. Louis, MO ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Missouri by median, cheapest first.
  • 2 of 17 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.

Cash prices at 17 facilities across 15 cities for code 72070, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 6, 2026 and Jun 10, 2026.

Lowest$89.90Community Hospital of Staunton
Median$280.80half of hospitals charge less
Highest$694.00in this market
Difference7.7×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 St. Louis, MO-IL.

median
Lowest $89.90Highest $694.00

Hospitals, cheapest first

HospitalCash priceList priceInsurers payOff list
Community Hospital of Staunton lowest Staunton, IL · (618) 635-2200 THORACIC SPINE 2 VIEWS File of Feb 9, 2026 · source file $89.90 $179.80 $51.98–$500.00 50%
Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 SP-T SPINE 2 VIEW CR File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file $89.93 $149.88 $149.88 40%
Carlinville Area Hospital Carlinville, IL · (217) 854-3141 THORACIC SPINE 2V - V File of Mar 21, 2026 · source file $121.10 $173.00 $62.28–$247.14 30%
Touchette Regional Hospital Cahokia Heights, IL · (618) 332-3060 Radiologic examination, spine; thoracic, 2 views File of Apr 13, 2026 · source file $128.34 $207.00 $8.28–$207.00 38%
Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Xr Spine Thoracic 2 Views File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file $132.60 $204.00 $35.43–$149.59 35%
Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO · (636) 933-1000 Xr Spine Thoracic 2 Views File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file $206.70 $318.00 $201.00–$310.00 35%
Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 251-6000 Xr Spine Thoracic 2 Views File of Jun 4, 2026 · source file $234.65 $361.00 $102.72–$235.61 35%
Shriners Childrens - St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 432-3600 X-RAY EXAM THORAC SPINE 2VWS File of Mar 18, 2026 · source file $242.60 $242.60 $27.33–$212.68 —
Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO · (636) 239-8000 Xr Spine Thoracic 2 Views File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file $280.80 $432.00 $176.00–$201.00 35%
St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL · (618) 651-2600 HC XR T-SPINE 2V File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file $286.56 $398.00 $62.25–$398.00 28%
Carlinville Area Hospital Carlinville, IL · (217) 854-3141 THORACIC SPINE 2V File of Mar 21, 2026 · source file $303.10 $433.00 $155.88–$618.57 30%
Anderson Hospital Maryville, IL · (618) 288-5711 THORACIC SPINE 2 VIEWS File of Feb 6, 2026 · source file $311.90 $623.80 $26.80–$561.42 50%
Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital Maryland Heights, MO · (314) 872-6400 XR Spine Thoracic 2 Views File of Apr 24, 2026 · source file $316.01 $395.01 — 20%
Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Xr Spine Thoracic 2 Views File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file $330.20 $508.00 $33.02–$508.00 35%
St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL · (618) 526-4511 HC XR T-SPINE 2V File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file $353.52 $491.00 $48.67–$491.00 28%
Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 HC XR T-SPINE 2V File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file $385.92 $536.00 $51.11–$536.00 28%
St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL · (618) 234-2120 HC XR T-SPINE 2V File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file $432.72 $601.00 $31.95–$601.00 28%
Jersey Community Hospital Jerseyville, IL · (618) 498-6402 XR Spine Thoracic 2 Views File of Mar 10, 2026 · source file $694.00 $694.00 $265.00–$589.90 —
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More
Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.
At or below Medicare This cash price is at or below what Medicare pays a hospital for the same service, which is unusually low. It is what the hospital's file says; confirm it and what it includes before booking. More
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More

Outpatient: lowest $89.90, median $280.80, highest $694.00 — a 7.7× difference within the same market.

As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $313.96. 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 13 of 16 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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 mid back X-ray is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Mid back X-ray explained.