Thoracic spine CT cost in San Francisco, CA
In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 24 hospitals list a cash price for thoracic spine (mid back) CT scan without contrast: from $1,247.40 to $4,811.00, with a median of $3,231.20. The lowest listed price is at St. Rose Hospital — $1,983.80 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,808.00 at 195 hospitals.
Cash prices at 24 facilities across 16 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 Feb 23, 2026 and Jul 22, 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Rose Hospital lowest Hayward, CA · (510) 782-6200 CTTHORACICSPINEW/OCONTRAST | $1,247.40 | $4,158.00 | $170.08–$3,534.30 | 70% | Feb 23, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 CT T-Spine WO Contrast | $1,637.60 | $4,094.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sequoia Hospital Redwood City, CA · (650) 369-5811 CT THORACIC SPINE WO CON | $2,390.03 | $6,566.00 | $155.95–$5,384.12 | 64% | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Chinese Hospital San Francisco, CA · (415) 677-2480 CT scan of middle spine without contrast | $2,734.00 | $2,734.00 | $151.14–$4,921.20 | — | Jul 22, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Leandro San Leandro, CA · (510) 454-1000 CT THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,231.20 | $5,770.00 | $184.00–$575.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael San Rafael, CA · (415) 444-2000 CT THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,231.20 | $5,770.00 | $184.00–$575.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont Fremont, CA · (510) 784-4000 CT THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,231.20 | $5,770.00 | $184.00–$575.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco San Francisco, CA · (415) 833-2646 CT THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,231.20 | $5,770.00 | $184.00–$575.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City Redwood City, CA · (650) 299-2000 CT THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,231.20 | $5,770.00 | $184.00–$575.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland/Richmond Oakland, CA · (510) 752-1000 CT THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,231.20 | $5,770.00 | $184.00–$575.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, CA · (925) 295-4000 CT THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,231.20 | $5,770.00 | $184.00–$575.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco South San Francisco, CA · (650) 742-3200 CT THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,231.20 | $5,770.00 | $184.00–$575.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch Antioch, CA · (925) 813-6500 CT THORACIC SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,231.20 | $5,770.00 | $184.00–$575.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Novato Community Hospital Novato, CA · (415) 209-1300 HCHG CT SPINE THOR WO CONTR | $4,811.00 | $4,811.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sutter Delta Medical Center Antioch, CA · (925) 779-7200 HCHG CT SPINE THOR WO CONTR | $4,811.00 | $4,811.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Oakland, CA · (510) 655-4000 HCHG CT SPINE THOR WO CONTR | $4,811.00 | $4,811.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| California Pacific Medical Ctr-Davies Campus Hospital San Francisco, CA · (415) 600-6000 HCHG CT SPINE THOR WO CONTR | $4,811.00 | $4,811.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Eden Medical Center Castro Valley, CA · (510) 537-1234 HCHG CT SPINE THOR WO CONTR | $4,811.00 | $4,811.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center - Alta Bates Camp Berkeley, CA · (510) 204-4444 HCHG CT SPINE THOR WO CONTR | $4,811.00 | $4,811.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| California Pacific Medical Center- Van Ness Campus San Francisco, CA · (415) 600-6000 HCHG CT SPINE THOR WO CONTR | $4,811.00 | $4,811.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center - Herrick Campus Berkeley, CA · (510) 204-4444 HCHG CT SPINE THOR WO CONTR | $4,811.00 | $4,811.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center-Summit Campus-Hawthorne Oakland, CA · (510) 655-4000 HCHG CT SPINE THOR WO CONTR | $4,811.00 | $4,811.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mills-Peninsula Medical Center Burlingame, CA · (650) 696-5400 HCHG CT SPINE THOR WO CONTR | $4,811.00 | $4,811.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mills Health Center San Mateo, CA · (650) 696-5400 HCHG CT SPINE THOR WO CONTR | $4,811.00 | $4,811.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,247.40, median $3,231.20, highest $4,811.00 — a 3.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 23 facilities here, median $3,231.20. 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 12 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.