Lower back X-ray cost in Portland, ME — inpatient
In Portland-South Portland, ME, 4 hospitals list a cash price for X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine), 2 or 3 views as an inpatient: from $237.60 to $534.95, with a median of $367.83. The lowest listed price is at York Hospital — $130.23 less than the median here. Across Maine, the median is $261.32 at 14 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 4 cities for code 72100, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 9, 2025 and Sep 9, 2025.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Portland-South Portland, ME.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| York Hospital lowest York, ME · (207) 351-2478 IR LUMBAR SPINE 2-3 VIEWS S&I | $237.60 | $396.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| MaineHealth Brunswick, ME · (207) 729-0181 HC XRAY EXAM SPINE LUMBOSACRAL 2-3 VIEWS | $263.85 | $263.85 | $186.28–$249.07 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 LUMBAR SPINE 2-3 72100 | $307.80 | $513.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 B-LUMBAR SPINE 2-3 72100 | $307.80 | $513.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 W-LUMBAR SPINE 2-3 72100 | $307.80 | $513.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| MaineHealth Biddeford, ME HC XRAY EXAM SPINE LUMBOSACRAL 2-3 VIEWS | $471.80 | $471.80 | $347.06–$443.49 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Portland, ME · (207) 662-0111 HC XRAY EXAM SPINE LUMBOSACRAL 2-3 VIEWS | $534.95 | $534.95 | $393.51–$502.85 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $237.60, median $367.83, highest $534.95 — a 2.3× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $263.85 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 0 of 3 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.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is 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.
| MaineHealth Brunswick, MECHG RADEX SPINE LUMBOSACRAL 2/3 VIEWS | $25.00 | file |