Scans and imaging CPT 72128 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Thoracic spine CT cost in Merced, CA — inpatient

In Merced, CA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for thoracic spine (mid back) CT scan without contrast as an inpatient: from $4,811.00 to $5,196.87, with a median of $5,003.94. The lowest listed price is at Memorial Hospital Los Banos — $192.94 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,808.00 at 193 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 72128, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 28, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026.

Lowest$4,811.00Memorial Hospital Los Banos

Median$5,003.94half of hospitals charge less

Highest$5,196.87in this market

Difference1.1×highest vs lowest

Where each hospital's price falls

Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Merced, CA.

median

Lowest $4,811.00Highest $5,196.87

Hospitals, cheapest first

Hospital	Cash price	List price	Insurers pay	Off list
Memorial Hospital Los Banos lowest Los Banos, CA · (209) 826-0591 HCHG CT SPINE THOR WO CONTR File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file	$4,811.00	$4,811.00	—	—
Mercy Medical Center Merced, CA · (209) 564-5000 CT THORACIC SPINE WO CON File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file	$5,196.87	$10,091.00	$6,054.60–$9,485.54	48%

Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.

Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More

List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More

Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More

Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.

No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More

Inpatient: lowest $4,811.00, median $5,003.94, highest $5,196.87 — a 1.1× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $3,081.18 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.

Cash or insurance?

At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated and 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.