Lower back X-ray cost in Columbus, OH
In Columbus, OH, 16 hospitals list a cash price for X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine), 2 or 3 views: from $206.70 to $333.32, with a median of $222.95. The lowest listed price is at Dublin Methodist Hospital and 5 other hospitals — $16.25 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $315.83 at 98 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 10 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 Oct 22, 2025 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 Columbus, OH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin Methodist Hospital lowest Dublin, OH · (614) 544-8000 Hc Xr Lumbosacral Spine 2 Or 3 Vw | $206.70 | $318.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Riverside Methodist Hospital lowest Columbus, OH · (614) 566-5000 Hc Xr Lumbosacral Spine 2 Or 3 Vw | $206.70 | $318.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Grant Medical Center lowest Columbus, OH · (614) 566-9164 Hc Xr Lumbosacral Spine 2 Or 3 Vw | $206.70 | $318.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Grove City Methodist lowest Grove City, OH Hc Xr Lumbosacral Spine 2 Or 3 Vw | $206.70 | $318.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Pickerington Methodist Hospital lowest Pickerington, OH Hc Xr Lumbosacral Spine 2 Or 3 Vw | $206.70 | $318.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Doctors Hospital lowest Columbus, OH · (614) 544-2136 Hc Xr Lumbosacral Spine 2 Or 3 Vw | $206.70 | $318.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital New Albany, OH · (614) 775-6600 HC Xr Lumbosacral Spine 2-3 Views | $222.95 | $343.00 | $88.62–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel Dublin Dublin, OH · (380) 898-9000 HC Xr Lumbosacral Spine 2-3 Views | $222.95 | $343.00 | $88.62–$343.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel Grove City Grove City, OH HC Xr Lumbosacral Spine 2-3 Views | $222.95 | $343.00 | $86.95–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Diley Ridge Medical Center Canal Winchester, OH · (614) 838-7911 HC Xr Lumbosacral Spine 2-3 Views | $222.95 | $343.00 | $88.62–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel East Columbus, OH · (614) 234-5000 HC Xr Lumbosacral Spine 2-3 Views | $222.95 | $343.00 | $86.95–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel St Ann's Westerville, OH · (614) 546-4034 HC Xr Lumbosacral Spine 2-3 Views | $222.95 | $343.00 | $88.62–$632.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel East Columbus, OH · (614) 234-5000 HC Xr Lumbosacral Spine 2-3 Views | $222.95 | — | $86.95–$632.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Grady Memorial Hospital Delaware, OH · (740) 368-5145 Hc Xr Lumbosacral Spine 2 Or 3 Vw | $245.05 | $377.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Berger Hospital Circleville, OH · (740) 420-8008 Hc Xr Lumbosacral Spine 2 Or 3 Vw | $264.55 | $407.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 722-2000 SPINE, LUMBOSACRAL, 2 OR 3 VW | $297.00 | $330.00 | $214.50–$323.40 | 10% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Morrow County Hospital Mount Gilead, OH · (419) 946-5015 X-ray of lower and sacral spine, 2-3 views | $333.32 | $512.80 | $69.78–$497.42 | 35% | Oct 22, 2025 source file |
| Mount Carmel St Ann's Westerville, OH · (614) 546-4034 HC Xr Lumbosacral Spine 2-3 Views | $438.10 | — | $88.62–$632.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mount Carmel Dublin Dublin, OH · (380) 898-9000 HC Xr Lumbosacral Spine 2-3 Views | $754.65 | — | $88.62–$341.50 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $206.70, median $222.95, highest $333.32 — a 1.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 15 facilities here, median $222.95. 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 8 of 8 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.