Thoracic spine CT cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 26 hospitals list a cash price for thoracic spine (mid back) CT scan without contrast: from $206.10 to $7,464.00, with a median of $1,643.00. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center South — $1,436.90 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $1,253.70 at 33 hospitals.
Cash prices at 26 facilities across 19 cities for code 72128, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 28, 2026 and Sep 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Medical Center South lowest Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC Chg CT Thoracic Spine W/O Contrast Material source file | $206.10 | $458.00 | $125.29–$394.86 | 55% |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Chg CT Thoracic Spine W/O Contrast Material source file | $216.79 | $481.75 | $125.29–$1,108.00 | 55% |
| Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Brockton, MA · (508) 941-7000 CT; THORACIC SPINE W/O CNTRST File of Jan 28, 2026 · source file | $376.60 | $538.00 | $81.05–$504.70 | 30% |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC CT Thoracic Spine WO Contr source file | $490.00 | $700.00 | $56.26–$700.00 | 30% |
| Southcoast Hospitals Group - Tobey Hospital Campus Wareham, MA · (508) 679-3131 HC CT Scan-Thoracic Spine-W/O Contrast source file | $496.00 | $992.00 | $95.93–$754.91 | 50% |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC CT Thoracic Spine WO Contr source file | $586.60 | $838.00 | $98.59–$1,948.00 | 30% |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC T-Spine Without Contrast source file | $721.00 | $721.00 | $139.08–$1,071.00 | — |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton Milton, MA · (617) 696-4600 HC CT THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $779.00 | $779.00 | — | — |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Chg CT Thoracic Spine W/O Contrast Material source file | $958.50 | $2,130.00 | $106.81–$1,810.50 | 55% |
| Mount Auburn Hospital Cambridge, MA · (617) 492-3500 HC CT THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $967.00 | $967.00 | — | — |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC CT Thoracic Spine WO Contr source file | $1,253.70 | $1,791.00 | $98.59–$1,841.00 | 30% |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Needham Needham, MA · (781) 453-3002 HC CT THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,314.00 | $1,314.00 | — | — |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Plymouth Plymouth, MA · (508) 746-2000 HC CT THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,616.00 | $1,616.00 | — | — |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 667-7000 HC CT THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,670.00 | $1,670.00 | — | — |
| Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington Burlington, MA · (781) 744-5100 HC CT THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,740.00 | $1,740.00 | — | — |
| New England Baptist Hospital Boston, MA · (617) 754-5800 HC CT THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,831.00 | $1,831.00 | — | — |
| Emerson Hospital Concord, MA · (978) 369-1400 SPINE THORACIC WITHOUT CONTRAS File of May 18, 2026 · source file | $2,165.25 | $2,887.00 | $299.51–$2,887.00 | 25% |
| Anna Jaques Hospital Newburyport, MA · (978) 463-1000 HC CT THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,405.00 | $2,405.00 | — | — |
| Winchester Hospital Winchester, MA · (781) 729-9000 HC CT THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,458.00 | $2,458.00 | — | — |
| Shriners Childrens - Boston Boston, MA · (617) 722-3000 CT CHEST SPINE W/O DYE source file | $3,997.10 | $3,997.10 | $112.08–$817.41 | — |
| Exeter Hospital Exeter, NH · (603) 778-7311 HC CT THORACIC SPINE WO CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $4,082.00 | $4,082.00 | — | — |
| Parkland Medical Center Derry, NH · (603) 421-2100 CT T-SPINE W/O CONTRAST File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,814.50 | $6,814.50 | $210.57–$6,473.77 | — |
| Plaistow Fser Plaistow, NH · (603) 421-2100 CT T-SPINE W/O CONTRAST File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,814.50 | $6,814.50 | $210.57–$6,473.77 | — |
| Seabrook Emergency Seabrook, NH · (603) 436-5110 Computed tomography, thoracic spine; without contrast material +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $7,464.00 | $7,464.00 | $307.52–$7,090.80 | — |
| Dover Emergency Room Dover, NH · (603) 436-5110 Computed tomography, thoracic spine; without contrast material +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $7,464.00 | $7,464.00 | $307.52–$7,090.80 | — |
| Portsmouth Regional Hospital Portsmouth, NH · (603) 436-5110 Computed tomography, thoracic spine; without contrast material +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $7,464.00 | $7,464.00 | $307.52–$7,090.80 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $206.10, median $1,643.00, highest $7,464.00 — a 36.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 20 facilities here, median $1,110.35. 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 10 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 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.