Lumbar spine CT cost in Houston, TX
In Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 11 hospitals list a cash price for CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast: from $1,224.50 to $3,089.60, with a median of $1,224.50. The lowest listed price is at Houston Methodist Continuing Care Hospital and 8 other hospitals. Across Texas, the median is $1,753.76 at 96 hospitals.
Cash prices at 11 facilities across 8 cities for code 72131, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 5, 2026 and Apr 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Methodist Continuing Care Hospital lowest Katy, TX HC CT LUM SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,224.50 | $2,449.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Methodist Hospital lowest Houston, TX · (713) 790-2221 HC CT LUM SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,224.50 | $2,449.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital lowest Baytown, TX · (281) 420-8600 HC CT LUM SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,224.50 | $2,449.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital lowest The Woodlands, TX · (936) 270-2000 HC CT LUM SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,224.50 | $2,449.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Methodist West Houston Hospital lowest Houston, TX · (832) 522-1000 HC CT LUM SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,224.50 | $2,449.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Methodist Willowbrook Hospital lowest Houston, TX · (281) 477-1000 HC CT LUM SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,224.50 | $2,449.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital lowest Nassau Bay, TX · (281) 333-5503 HC CT LUM SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,224.50 | $2,449.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Houston Methodist Cypress Hospital lowest Cypress, TX · (346) 618-1506 HC CT LUM SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,224.50 | $2,449.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Methodist Sugar Land Hospital lowest Sugar Land, TX · (281) 274-8000 HC CT LUM SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,224.50 | $2,449.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Texas Children's Hospital Houston, TX · (832) 824-1000 TC CT, SPINE LUMBAR | $2,694.74 | $4,022.00 | $104.75–$3,820.90 | 33% | Mar 5, 2026 source file |
| Texas Children's Hospital Houston, TX · (832) 824-1000 TC CT, SPINE LUMBAR | $2,694.74 | $4,022.00 | $104.75–$3,820.90 | 33% | Mar 5, 2026 source file |
| Texas Children's Hospital Houston, TX · (832) 824-1000 TC CT, SPINE LUMBAR | $2,694.74 | $4,022.00 | $104.75–$3,820.90 | 33% | Mar 5, 2026 source file |
| Shriners Childrens Texas Galveston, TX · (409) 770-6600 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE | $3,089.60 | $3,089.60 | $90.85–$215.19 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,224.50, median $1,224.50, highest $3,089.60 — a 2.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $1,224.50. 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 1 of 2 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
This CT scan shows the bones of the lower back in detail. It is used after injuries and when an MRI is not possible.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the scan. The radiologist's reading may be billed separately.
5 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 72131 ($1,166.00). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Harris Health Taub Loop Houston, TXCT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST (MOD CT � MCARE ONLY) | $102.04 | file |
| Harris Health Taub Loop Houston, TXCT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $102.04 | file |
| Harris Health Houston, TXCT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST (MOD CT � MCARE ONLY) | $102.04 | file |
| Harris Health Houston, TXCT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $102.04 | file |
| Hsa St. Joseph Houston, TXCT LS WO CONTRAST | $103.34 | file |