Lumbar spine CT cost in New York, NY — inpatient
In New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, 24 hospitals list a cash price for CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast as an inpatient: from $117.70 to $1,530.00, with a median of $295.00. The lowest listed price is at Hmh Hospitals — $177.30 less than the median here. Across New York, the median is $538.40 at 61 hospitals.
Cash prices at 24 facilities across 18 cities for code 72131, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Oct 28, 2025 and Aug 13, 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hmh Hospitals lowest Neptune City, NJ CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $117.70 | $2,310.00 | $383.46–$2,310.00 | 95% | Dec 31, 2025 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 |
| 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 |
| Overlook Medical Center Summit, NJ · (908) 522-2000 CT Spine Lumb WO | $141.90 | $2,328.00 | — | 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 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 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 |
| 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 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 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 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 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 New York, NY CT Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast Material | $295.00 | $295.00 | $50.17–$762.22 | — | 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 |
| 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 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 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 | — | 30% | Oct 28, 2025 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 |
| 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 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 |
| 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 |
Inpatient: lowest $117.70, median $295.00, highest $1,530.00 — a 13.0× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 44 facilities here, median $180.49 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 11 of 14 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 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.
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.
| Newton Medical Center Newton, NJCT Spine Lumb WO | $116.20 | file |