Lumbar spine CT cost in Riverside, CA
In Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA, 14 hospitals list a cash price for CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast: from $133.00 to $9,832.17, with a median of $2,092.73. The lowest listed price is at Chino Valley Medical Center and 2 other hospitals — $1,959.73 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,860.00 at 99 hospitals.
Cash prices at 14 facilities across 12 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 Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 17, 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chino Valley Medical Center lowest Chino, CA · (909) 627-6111 Hc Ct Scan Lumbar Spine Wo Contrast | $133.00 | $5,260.00 | $127.11–$5,260.00 | 97% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Desert Valley Hospital lowest Victorville, CA · (760) 241-8000 CT L-SPINE W/O CONTRAST - 72131 - 4570172131 | $133.00 | $3,608.00 | $131.98–$3,608.00 | 96% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Desert Valley Hospital lowest Victorville, CA · (760) 241-8000 CT L-SPINE W/O CONTRAST - 72131 - 46872131 | $133.00 | $3,608.00 | $131.98–$3,608.00 | 96% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Montclair Hospital Medical Center lowest Montclair, CA · (909) 625-8300 Hc Ct Scan Lumbar Spine Wo Contrast | $133.00 | $5,260.00 | $127.11–$5,260.00 | 97% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center - Murrieta Murrieta, CA · (951) 290-4000 HC CT BONE L-SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $1,124.55 | $2,499.00 | $134.46–$1,874.25 | 55% | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| St Mary Medical Center Apple Valley, CA · (760) 242-2311 HC CT LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST | $1,204.32 | $2,509.00 | — | 52% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| San Antonio Regional Hospital Upland, CA · (909) 985-2811 CT scan of lower spine without contrast | $1,243.00 | $10,205.00 | $131.77–$18,751.69 | 88% | Apr 2, 2026 source file |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center Loma Linda, CA · (909) 558-4000 HC CT BONE L-SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $2,044.35 | $4,543.00 | $134.46–$4,088.70 | 55% | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| Loma Linda University Childrens Hospital Loma Linda, CA · (909) 558-8000 HC CT BONE L-SPINE W/O CONTRAST | $2,141.10 | $4,758.00 | $134.46–$4,044.30 | 55% | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| Palo Verde Hospital Blythe, CA · (760) 922-4115 CT Spine Lumbar w/o Contrast | $2,431.50 | $3,242.00 | — | 25% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Moreno Valley Moreno Valley, CA · (951) 251-6530 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $2,860.00 | $5,500.00 | $119.00–$355.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Riverside Riverside, CA · (951) 353-2000 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $2,860.00 | $5,500.00 | $119.00–$355.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fontana Fontana, CA · (909) 427-5000 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $2,860.00 | $5,500.00 | $119.00–$355.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Hospital of Barstow Barstow, CA · (760) 256-1761 CT scan of lower spine without contrast | $5,697.74 | $9,496.24 | $229.56–$7,596.99 | 40% | Sep 17, 2026 source file |
| Riverside University Medical Center Moreno Valley, CA · (951) 486-4000 HC CT Bone L-Spine W/O Contrast | $9,832.17 | $9,832.17 | $92.01–$9,832.17 | — | — source file |
| Riverside University Medical Center Moreno Valley, CA · (951) 486-4000 HC CT Bone L-Spine W/O Contrast | $9,832.17 | $9,832.17 | $92.01–$9,832.17 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $133.00, median $2,092.73, highest $9,832.17 — a 73.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 9 facilities here, median $2,431.50. 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 8 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
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.