Lower back X-ray cost in Akron, OH
In Akron, OH, 4 hospitals list a cash price for X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine), 2 or 3 views: from $439.50 to $761.25, with a median of $477.43. The lowest listed price is at University Hospitals Portage Medical Center — $37.93 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $315.83 at 98 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 3 cities for code 72100, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Nov 11, 2025 and Jul 14, 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 Akron, OH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Hospitals Portage Medical Center lowest Ravenna, OH · (330) 297-2300 HC X-RAY LUMBAR SPINE 2/3 VW - XR LUMBAR SPINE 2-3 VIEWS | $439.50 | $586.00 | $72.17–$527.40 | 25% | Jul 14, 2026 source file |
| Akron General Medical Center Akron, OH · (330) 344-6000 RADEX SPINE LUMBOSACRAL 2/3 VIEWS | $477.10 | $734.00 | $0.87–$551.66 | 35% | Jun 15, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron Akron, OH · (330) 543-8290 HB X-RAY LUMBAR SPINE 2/3 VW | $477.75 | $637.00 | $216.58–$629.99 | 25% | Nov 11, 2025 source file |
| Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center Fairlawn, OH X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views | $761.25 | $1,015.00 | $99.09–$2,406.04 | 25% | Jun 19, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $439.50, median $477.43, highest $761.25 — a 1.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $458.30. 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 4 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 lower back X-ray shows the bones of the lumbar spine in two or three views. It is used after injuries, for suspected fractures and for back pain with warning signs.
What the price covers
The price usually covers taking the images. The radiologist's reading may be billed separately.
2 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 72100 ($278.40). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron Akron, OHRADEX SPINE LUMBOSACRAL 2/3 VIEWS | $0.60 | file |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron Akron, OHCHG RADEX SPINE LUMBOSACRAL 2/3 VIEWS | $24.60 | file |