Lumbar spine CT cost in Kansas City, MO
In Kansas City, MO-KS, 4 hospitals list a cash price for CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast: from $300.00 to $4,947.46, with a median of $2,701.09. The lowest listed price is at Mish — $2,401.09 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $1,379.95 at 23 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 4 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 6, 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 Kansas City, MO-KS.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mish lowest Lenexa, KS CT Spine Lumbar w/o Contrast | $300.00 | $3,000.00 | — | 90% | — source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 CT LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST | $454.72 | $1,568.00 | $93.38–$1,474.00 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 CT Lumbar Spine wo Contrast | $454.72 | $1,568.00 | $93.38–$1,474.00 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Shawnee Mission, KS · (913) 676-2152 HC CT SCAN,LUMBAR SPINE,W/O CONTRAST | $4,947.46 | $4,947.46 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| AdventHealth South Overland Park Overland Park, KS · (913) 373-2000 HC CT SCAN,LUMBAR SPINE,W/O CONTRAST | $4,947.46 | $4,947.46 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $300.00, median $2,701.09, highest $4,947.46 — a 16.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $2,701.09. 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 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
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.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is 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.
| St Joseph Medical Center Kansas City, MOHc Ct Scan Lumbar Spine Wo Contrast | $104.00 | file |