Scans and imaging CPT 72128 Inpatient — admitted to hospital

Thoracic spine CT cost in Paducah, KY — inpatient

In Paducah, KY-IL, 2 hospitals list a cash price for thoracic spine (mid back) CT scan without contrast as an inpatient: from $1,086.30 to $1,687.20, with a median of $1,386.75. The lowest listed price is at Livingston Hospital and Healthcare Services — $300.45 less than the median here. Across Kentucky, the median is $1,260.97 at 77 hospitals.

Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 72128, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Aug 25, 2026.

Lowest$1,086.30Livingston Hospital and Healthcare Services

Median$1,386.75half of hospitals charge less

Highest$1,687.20in this market

Difference1.6×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 Paducah, KY-IL.

median

Lowest $1,086.30Highest $1,687.20

Hospitals, cheapest first

Hospital	Cash price	List price	Insurers pay	Off list
Livingston Hospital and Healthcare Services lowest Salem, KY · (270) 988-2299 CT Spine Thoracic w/o Contrast+1 more line at this price File of Aug 25, 2026 · source file	$1,086.30	$1,810.50	$452.00–$1,538.93	40%
Livingston Hospital and Healthcare Services Salem, KY · (270) 988-2299 CT Spine Thoracic w/ + w/o Contrast+1 more line at this price File of Aug 25, 2026 · source file	$1,374.90	$2,291.50	$452.00–$1,947.78	40%
Mercy Health Lourdes Hospital Paducah, KY · (270) 444-2444 HC CT T-Spine W/O Contrast File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file	$1,687.20	$2,812.00	—	40%

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.

Inpatient: lowest $1,086.30, median $1,386.75, highest $1,687.20 — a 1.6× difference within the same market.

As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $1,197.60 — 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. 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.