Lumbar spine CT cost in New York, NY
In New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, 44 hospitals list a cash price for CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast: from $117.70 to $2,541.00, with a median of $180.49. The lowest listed price is at Bayshore Medical Center and 2 other hospitals — $62.79 less than the median here. Across New York, the median is $538.40 at 61 hospitals.
Cash prices at 44 facilities across 32 cities for code 72131, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 25, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Oct 28, 2025 and Sep 5, 2026.
Lowest$117.70Bayshore Medical Center + 2 more
Median$180.49half pay less
Highest$2,541.00in this market
Difference21.6×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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ.
median
Lowest $117.70Highest $2,868.58
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayshore Medical Center lowest Holmdel, NJ · (732) 739-5900 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $117.70 | $3,051.00 | $117.70–$141.24 | 96% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| Hmh Hospitals lowest Neptune City, NJ CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $117.70 | $2,310.00 | $242.50–$2,218.00 | 95% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| Hmh Hospitals lowest Red Bank, NJ CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $117.70 | $3,051.00 | $204.36–$2,159.44 | 96% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| Raritan Bay Medical Center Perth Amboy, NJ · (732) 324-5000 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $117.81 | $3,051.00 | $254.38–$2,921.00 | 96% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| JFK University Medical Center Edison, NJ · (732) 321-7000 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $117.81 | $2,310.00 | $371.91–$2,146.68 | 95% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| Hmh Hospitals Old Bridge, NJ CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $117.81 | $3,051.00 | $254.38–$2,921.00 | 96% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| Saint Marys Hospital Passaic, NJ · (973) 365-4300 Hc Ct Scan Lumbar Spine Wo Contrast | $123.00 | $2,799.33 | $98.87–$2,379.43 | 96% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Hackensack University Medical Center Hackensack, NJ · (551) 996-2000 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $125.23 | $2,310.00 | $415.80–$2,252.71 | 95% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| Palisades Medical Center North Bergen, NJ · (201) 854-5000 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $125.23 | $3,051.00 | $239.39–$650.00 | 96% | Dec 31, 2025 source file |
| Metropolitan Hospital Center New York, NY · (212) 423-6262 HC CT LUMBAR SPINE WITHOUT DYE | $125.84 | $1,100.17 | $1.00–$1,290.00 | 89% | Sep 5, 2026 source file |
| New York City Health and Hospitals Broadway Elmhurst, NY HC CT LUMBAR SPINE WITHOUT DYE | $125.84 | $1,100.17 | $1.00–$1,290.00 | 89% | Sep 5, 2026 source file |
| Kings County Hospital Center Brooklyn, NY · (718) 245-3901 HC CT LUMBAR SPINE WITHOUT DYE | $125.84 | $1,537.55 | $1.00–$1,290.00 | 92% | Sep 5, 2026 source file |
| Bellevue Hospital Center New York, NY · (212) 561-4132 HC CT LUMBAR SPINE WITHOUT DYE | $125.84 | $1,537.55 | $1.00–$1,290.00 | 92% | Sep 5, 2026 source file |
| Bellevue Hospital Center New York, NY · (212) 561-4132 HC CT LUMBAR SPINE WITHOUT DYE | $125.84 | $1,100.17 | $1.00–$1,290.00 | 89% | Sep 5, 2026 source file |
| Kings County Hospital Center Brooklyn, NY · (718) 245-3901 HC CT LUMBAR SPINE WITHOUT DYE | $125.84 | $1,100.17 | $1.00–$1,290.00 | 89% | Sep 5, 2026 source file |
| Kings County Hospital Center Brooklyn, NY · (718) 245-3901 HC CT LUMBAR SPINE WITHOUT DYE | $125.84 | $1,537.55 | $1.00–$1,290.00 | 92% | Sep 5, 2026 source file |
| New York City Health and Hospitals Jamaica, NY HC CT LUMBAR SPINE WITHOUT DYE | $125.84 | $1,537.55 | $1.00–$1,290.00 | 92% | Sep 5, 2026 source file |
| Jacobi Medical Center Bronx, NY · (718) 918-5000 HC CT LUMBAR SPINE WITHOUT DYE | $125.84 | $1,537.55 | $1.00–$1,290.00 | 92% | Sep 5, 2026 source file |
| Jacobi Medical Center Bronx, NY · (718) 918-5000 HC CT LUMBAR SPINE WITHOUT DYE | $125.84 | $1,100.17 | $1.00–$1,290.00 | 89% | Sep 5, 2026 source file |
| Jacobi Medical Center Bronx, NY · (718) 918-5000 HC CT LUMBAR SPINE WITHOUT DYE | $125.84 | $1,537.55 | $1.00–$1,290.00 | 92% | Sep 5, 2026 source file |
| Maimonides Medical Center Brooklyn, NY · (718) 283-6000 CT THORACIC SPINE W/O CNTRAST | $130.00 | $130.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| CentraState Medical Center Freehold Township, NJ · (732) 294-7012 CT Spine Lumb WO | $135.36 | $2,708.00 | — | 95% | — source file |
| CentraState Medical Center Freehold Township, NJ · (732) 294-7012 CT Spine Lumb WO | $135.36 | $2,708.00 | — | 95% | — source file |
| CentraState Medical Center Freehold Township, NJ · (732) 294-7012 CT Spine Lumb WO | $135.36 | $2,708.00 | — | 95% | — source file |
| University Hospital Newark, NJ · (973) 972-4300 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $140.12 | $749.09 | $121.84–$711.64 | 81% | Aug 13, 2026 source file |
| Morristown Medical Center Morristown, NJ · (973) 971-5450 CT Spine Lumb WO | $141.90 | $2,367.00 | — | 94% | — source file |
| Chilton Medical Center Pompton Plains, NJ · (973) 831-5000 CT Spine Lumb WO | $141.90 | $3,518.00 | — | 96% | — source file |
| Chilton Medical Center Pompton Plains, NJ · (973) 831-5000 CT Spine Lumb WO | $141.90 | $3,518.00 | — | 96% | — source file |
| Overlook Medical Center Summit, NJ · (908) 522-2000 CT Spine Lumb WO | $141.90 | $2,328.00 | — | 94% | — source file |
| Overlook Medical Center Summit, NJ · (908) 522-2000 CT Spine Lumb WO | $141.90 | $2,328.00 | — | 94% | — source file |
| Morristown Medical Center Morristown, NJ · (973) 971-5450 CT Spine Lumb WO | $141.90 | $2,367.00 | — | 94% | — source file |
| St. Barnabas Hospital Bronx, NY · (212) 960-9000 CHG CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $152.97 | $562.98 | $104.80–$336.87 | 73% | Feb 27, 2026 source file |
| Englewood Health Englewood, NJ · (201) 894-3000 CT Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast Material | $208.00 | $2,080.00 | $152.05–$1,664.00 | 90% | Feb 2, 2026 source file |
| Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases West Harrison, NY CT Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast Material | $295.00 | $295.00 | $50.17–$762.22 | — | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases Middletown, NJ CT Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast Material | $295.00 | $295.00 | $50.17–$762.22 | — | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases Middletown, NJ CT Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast Material|PROFESSIONAL COMPONENT | $295.00 | $295.00 | $50.17–$265.50 | — | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases Basking Ridge, NJ CT Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast Material|PROFESSIONAL COMPONENT | $295.00 | $295.00 | $50.17–$265.50 | — | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases Basking Ridge, NJ CT Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast Material | $295.00 | $295.00 | $50.17–$762.22 | — | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases West Harrison, NY CT Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast Material|PROFESSIONAL COMPONENT | $295.00 | $295.00 | $50.17–$265.50 | — | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases New York, NY CT Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast Material | $295.00 | $295.00 | $50.17–$762.22 | — | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases New York, NY CT Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast Material|PROFESSIONAL COMPONENT | $295.00 | $295.00 | $50.17–$265.50 | — | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Maimonides Medical Center Brooklyn, NY · (718) 283-6000 CAT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE | $375.00 | $375.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Jamaica Hospital Medical Center Jamaica, NY · (718) 262-6000 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE | $445.00 | $445.00 | $78.16–$1,912.00 | — | — source file |
| Flushing Hospital Medical Center Flushing, NY · (718) 670-5000 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE | $445.00 | $445.00 | $78.16–$1,912.00 | — | — source file |
| Nassau University Medical Center East Meadow, NY · (516) 572-0123 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE | $448.07 | $640.09 | $127.26–$205.99 | 30% | Oct 28, 2025 source file |
| The Valley Hospital Paramus, NJ · (201) 447-8000 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O C.M. | $684.00 | $1,140.00 | $124.20–$855.00 | 40% | — source file |
| NYU Langone Hospital - Suffolk Patchogue, NY · (631) 654-7100 HC CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE | $727.32 | $3,828.00 | $66.00–$3,985.88 | 81% | Jan 1, 2026 source file |
| NYU Langone New York, NY · (212) 263-7300 HC CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE | $757.32 | $3,985.88 | $66.00–$3,985.88 | 81% | Jan 1, 2026 source file |
| NYU Langone Mineola, NY HC CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE | $757.32 | $3,985.88 | $66.00–$3,985.88 | 81% | Jan 1, 2026 source file |
| NYU Langone New York, NY · (212) 263-7300 HC CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE | $757.32 | $3,985.88 | $66.00–$3,985.88 | 81% | Jan 1, 2026 source file |
| NYU Langone Brooklyn, NY HC CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE | $757.32 | $3,985.88 | $66.00–$3,985.88 | 81% | Jan 1, 2026 source file |
| Nassau University Medical Center East Meadow, NY · (516) 572-0123 Ct Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast | $834.61 | $1,192.29 | $89.08–$1,251.00 | 30% | Oct 28, 2025 source file |
| Mount Sinai Brooklyn Brooklyn, NY HC CT Lumbar Spine WO Contrast | $1,530.00 | $1,700.00 | — | 10% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mount Sinai Behavioral Health Center New York, NY HC CT Lumbar Spine WO Contrast | $1,530.00 | $1,700.00 | — | 10% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mount Sinai Queens Long Island, NY HC CT Lumbar Spine WO Contrast | $1,530.00 | $1,700.00 | — | 10% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| The Mount Sinai Hospital New York, NY · (212) 241-7981 HC CT Lumbar Spine WO Contrast | $1,530.00 | $1,700.00 | — | 10% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Mount Sinai Morningside New York, NY HC CT Lumbar Spine WO Contrast | $1,530.00 | $1,700.00 | — | 10% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Maimonides Medical Center Brooklyn, NY · (718) 283-6000 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $1,599.00 | $1,599.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| St Johns Riverside Hospital Park Care Pavillion Yonkers, NY CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE | $2,448.85 | $2,881.00 | $110.38–$3,783.00 | 15% | — source file |
| Brooklyn Hospital Center at Downtown Campus Brooklyn, NY · (718) 250-8000 CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITHOUT CONTRAST | $2,505.53 | $2,505.53 | $103.89–$633.00 | — | — source file |
| Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases Basking Ridge, NJ HC CT Scan,Lumbar Spine,W/O Contrast - CT Lumbar Spine WO Contrast | $2,540.00 | $2,540.00 | $941.00–$2,286.00 | — | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases New York, NY HC CT Scan,Lumbar Spine,W/O Contrast - CT Lumbar Spine WO Contrast | $2,540.00 | $2,540.00 | $353.41–$2,286.00 | — | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases Middletown, NJ HC CT Scan,Lumbar Spine,W/O Contrast - CT Lumbar Spine WO Contrast | $2,540.00 | $2,540.00 | $941.00–$2,286.00 | — | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases West Harrison, NY HC CT Scan,Lumbar Spine,W/O Contrast - CT Lumbar Spine WO Contrast | $2,540.00 | $2,540.00 | $353.41–$2,286.00 | — | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Southampton, NY CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITHOUT CONTRAST | $2,540.74 | $2,540.74 | $129.86–$1,832.00 | — | — source file |
| Stony Brook University Hospital Stony Brook, NY · (631) 444-4000 CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITHOUT CONTRAST | $2,541.00 | $2,541.00 | $129.86–$4,255.00 | — | — source file |
| Stony Brook Southampton Hospital Southampton, NY CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE | $2,718.59 | $2,718.59 | $129.86–$1,832.00 | — | — source file |
| Stony Brook University Hospital Stony Brook, NY · (631) 444-4000 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE | $2,719.00 | $2,719.00 | $129.86–$4,255.00 | — | — source file |
| Brooklyn Hospital Center at Downtown Campus Brooklyn, NY · (718) 250-8000 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE | $2,868.58 | $2,868.58 | $103.89–$633.00 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $117.70, median $180.49, highest $2,541.00 — a 21.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 24 facilities here, median $295.00. 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 30 of 34 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 7 it is 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.
10 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.
| JFK University Medical Center Edison, NJCT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $106.34 | file |
| Ocean Medical Center Brick, NJCT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $106.34 | file |
| Bellevue Hospital Center New York, NYCHG CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $106.81 | file |
| New York City Health and Hospitals Jamaica, NYCHG CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $106.81 | file |
| Kings County Hospital Center Brooklyn, NYCHG CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $106.81 | file |
| Kings County Hospital Center Brooklyn, NYCHG CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $106.81 | file |
| Newton Medical Center Newton, NJCT Spine Lumb WO | $116.20 | file |
| Newton Medical Center Newton, NJCT Spine Lumb WO | $116.20 | file |
| Southern Ocean Medical Center Manahawkin, NJCT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $116.22 | file |
| Ocean Medical Center Brick, NJCT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $116.22 | file |