Thoracic spine CT cost in Bakersfield, CA
In Bakersfield-Delano, CA, 5 hospitals list a cash price for thoracic spine (mid back) CT scan without contrast: from $455.00 to $1,679.89, with a median of $1,444.25. The lowest listed price is at Good Samaritan Hospital — $989.25 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,808.00 at 195 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 3 cities for code 72128, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 28, 2026 and Sep 11, 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 Bakersfield-Delano, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good Samaritan Hospital lowest Bakersfield, CA · (661) 215-7500 CT SCAN OF MIDDLE SPINE WITHOUT CONTRAST | $455.00 | $650.00 | $126.00–$200.70 | 30% | — source file |
| Kern Valley Healthcare District Mountain Mesa, CA · (760) 379-2681 CT scan of middle spine without contrast | $700.60 | $3,336.20 | $233.48–$3,336.20 | 79% | Jun 11, 2026 source file |
| Ridgecrest Regional Hospital Ridgecrest, CA · (760) 446-3551 Ct chest spine w/o dye | $1,444.25 | $2,725.00 | $306.22 | 47% | Sep 11, 2026 source file |
| Ridgecrest Regional Hospital Ridgecrest, CA · (760) 446-3551 Ct thor spine w/o contrast | $1,444.25 | $2,725.00 | $306.22 | 47% | Sep 11, 2026 source file |
| Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield, CA · (661) 327-1792 CT THORACIC SPINE WO CON | $1,661.78 | $4,528.00 | $135.12–$3,577.12 | 63% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Bakersfield, CA · (661) 632-5000 CT THORACIC SPINE WO CON | $1,679.89 | $4,528.00 | $135.12–$3,622.40 | 63% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $455.00, median $1,444.25, highest $1,679.89 — a 3.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $1,661.78. 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 3 of 5 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 thoracic spine CT makes detailed pictures of the twelve vertebrae of the mid back. It is used mainly after an injury to look for fractures, and in older adults for compression fractures.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the scan and any contrast dye. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.