Lumbar spine CT cost in Riverside, CA
In Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA, 22 hospitals list a cash price for CT scan of the lower back (lumbar spine) without contrast: from $684.87 to $14,900.00, with a median of $2,645.75. The lowest listed price is at San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital — $1,960.88 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,860.00 at 205 hospitals.
- The median here, $2,645.75, is 89% above the US median of $1,397.59.
- That is 24.8× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($106.81).
- Riverside, CA ranks 2nd of 5 metro areas in California by median, cheapest first.
- 6 of 22 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 22 facilities across 18 cities for code 72131, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 1, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 14, 2026 and Sep 30, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital lowest Banning, CA · (951) 769-2101 CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITHOUT CONTRAST File of May 20, 2026 · source file | $684.87 | $3,424.36 | $127.11–$931.00 | 80% |
| San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Banning, CA · (951) 769-2101 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O DYE File of May 20, 2026 · source file | $708.84 | $3,544.22 | $127.11–$931.00 | 80% |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center - Murrieta Murrieta, CA · (951) 290-4000 HC CT BONE L-SPINE W/O CONTRAST File of Sep 2, 2026 · source file | $1,124.55 | $2,499.00 | $134.46–$1,874.25 | 55% |
| St Mary Medical Center Apple Valley, CA · (760) 242-2311 HC CT LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,204.32 | $2,509.00 | — | 52% |
| San Antonio Regional Hospital Upland, CA · (909) 985-2811 CT scan of lower spine without contrast File of Apr 2, 2026 · source file | $1,243.00 | $10,205.00 | $131.77–$18,751.69 | 88% |
| Mountains Community Hospital Lake Arrowhead, CA · (909) 336-3651 CT SPINE LUMBAR WO CONTRAST File of Jan 14, 2026 · source file | $1,303.60 | $3,259.00 | $1,466.55–$2,770.15 | 60% |
| St Bernardine Medical Center San Bernardino, CA · (909) 883-8711 CT LUMBAR SPINE WO CON File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $1,505.59 | $4,574.00 | $116.98–$3,887.90 | 67% |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center Loma Linda, CA · (909) 558-4000 HC CT BONE L-SPINE W/O CONTRAST File of Sep 2, 2026 · source file | $2,044.35 | $4,543.00 | $134.46–$4,088.70 | 55% |
| Loma Linda University Childrens Hospital Loma Linda, CA · (909) 558-8000 HC CT BONE L-SPINE W/O CONTRAST File of Sep 2, 2026 · source file | $2,141.10 | $4,758.00 | $134.46–$4,044.30 | 55% |
| Redlands Community Hospital Redlands, CA · (909) 335-5500 CT scan of lower spine without contrast File of Jun 19, 2026 · source file | $2,263.68 | $9,432.00 | $114.29–$8,488.80 | 76% |
| Community Hospital of San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA · (909) 887-6333 CT LUMBAR SPINE WO CON File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $2,374.61 | $6,107.00 | $134.46–$6,107.00 | 61% |
| Palo Verde Hospital Blythe, CA · (760) 922-4115 CT Spine Lumbar w/o Contrast File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $2,431.50 | $3,242.00 | — | 25% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fontana Fontana, CA · (909) 427-5000 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,860.00 | $5,500.00 | $119.00–$355.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Riverside Riverside, CA · (951) 353-2000 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,860.00 | $5,500.00 | $119.00–$355.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Moreno Valley Moreno Valley, CA · (951) 251-6530 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,860.00 | $5,500.00 | $119.00–$355.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Ontario Medical Center Campus Ontario, CA · (909) 427-5000 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,860.00 | $5,500.00 | $119.00–$355.00 | 48% |
| Victor Valley Global Medical Center Victorville, CA · (760) 245-8691 CT LUMBAR SPINE W/O CONTRAST File of May 13, 2026 · source file | $3,078.00 | $3,078.00 | $79.50–$3,078.00 | — |
| San Bernardino County Colton, CA · (909) 580-1000 HC CT SCAN,LUMBAR SPINE,W/O CONTRAST - CT LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST File of Feb 25, 2026 · source file | $3,202.00 | $3,202.00 | $124.34–$2,321.45 | — |
| Menifee Global Medical Center Menifee, CA · (951) 679-8888 CT LS SPINE W/O CONTRAST File of May 20, 2026 · source file | $4,046.00 | $4,046.00 | $125.05–$4,046.00 | — |
| Hemet Global Medical Center Hemet, CA · (951) 652-2811 CT LS SPINE W/O CONTRAST File of Jun 15, 2026 · source file | $4,046.00 | $4,046.00 | $125.05–$4,046.00 | — |
| Barstow Community Hospital Barstow, CA · (760) 256-1761 CT scan of lower spine without contrast File of Sep 17, 2026 · source file | $5,697.74 | $9,496.24 | $229.56–$7,596.99 | 40% |
| Riverside University Medical Center Moreno Valley, CA · (951) 486-4000 HC CT Bone L-Spine W/O Contrast+1 more line at this price File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $9,832.17 | $9,832.17 | $92.01–$9,832.17 | — |
| Riverside Community Hospital Riverside, CA · (951) 788-3000 CT L-SPINE W/O CONTRAST+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $14,900.00 | $14,900.00 | $963.03–$13,410.00 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $684.87, median $2,645.75, highest $14,900.00 — a 21.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $2,860.00. 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 10 of 20 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 lumbar spine CT is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Lumbar spine CT explained.
5 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 72131 ($1,377.00). 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.
| Hospital | Cash price | File |
|---|---|---|
| Eisenhower Medical Center Rancho Mirage, CAHC CT Lumbar Spine W/O Contrast | $66.56 | file |
| Montclair Hospital Medical Center Montclair, CAHc Ct Scan Lumbar Spine Wo Contrast | $133.00 | file |
| Chino Valley Medical Center Chino, CAHc Ct Scan Lumbar Spine Wo Contrast | $133.00 | file |
| Desert Valley Hospital Victorville, CACT L-SPINE W/O CONTRAST - 72131 - 46872131 | $133.00 | file |
| Desert Valley Hospital Victorville, CACT L-SPINE W/O CONTRAST - 72131 - 4570172131 | $133.00 | file |