CMS Price Transparency Data

CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine)

Facility: Ochsner Medical Center Acute

Billing Code: 72131 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$211

about 2.0× the $107 Medicare rate · typically $111–$349

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$267

Above the fair price

about $56 over the fair price · 2.5× Medicare

Medicare pays $107 Fair price $211 This hospital $267 Cash price $428 Hospital's list price $1,947

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other LA hospitals

Highest price of the 9 LA hospitals we have prices for — worth calling around.

Cheapest $80 Priciest $267

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 LA hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

A fair price for a CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine) is about $211 (about 2.0× the $107 Medicare rate). Ochsner Medical Center Acute charges insurers about $267, or about $428 in cash — above the fair price. Located in New Orleans, LA.

This price is above the fair BaseRate — you may be able to pay less

Ask the hospital for the cash / self-pay price, check whether you qualify for financial assistance, or negotiate the bill down toward the fair price of about $211. Many patients pay well below the first number they’re quoted — the checklists below walk you through it.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

5 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna✓ Humana Kaiser Permanente

Crossed out = this hospital hasn’t published a negotiated price for that insurer for this procedure. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t accepted — ask your insurer.

Insurance company	Price range	vs. Medicare
UnitedHealthcaremajor	$98 - $261	92%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$98 - $604	92%
Aetnamajor	$269 - $1,799	252%
Cignamajor	$1,372	1285%
Humanamajor	$98 - $261	92%
AmeriHealth	$269	252%
Health Net	$1,470	1376%
+ 10 smaller / regional plans	$98 - $1,557

Government programs also on file: Medicare, Medicaid, Military & VA.

Excludes 9 rental-network / third-party entries (e.g. Multiplan, PHCS) — these are pricing networks, not insurers.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Tell the billing desk you want to be billed as self-pay — not through insurance — before your visit.
Ask for the cash / prompt-pay discount in writing, with the exact price (about 428), before you agree to anything.
Get it in writing that they won’t also bill your insurance, so the cash price is what you owe.
Check the CPT code on your bill matches exactly: 72131.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Ochsner Medical Center Acute is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 72131.
Confirm the doctor or provider is in-network too — not just the hospital building.
Check your Explanation of Benefits against the hospital’s final itemized bill.

Estimate your out-of-pocket cost

A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.

How you’d pay

Deductible left to meet ($)

Your coinsurance (%)

Enter your details and press estimate to compare.

Other Procedures at Ochsner Medical Center Acute

Compare: CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine) at other LA hospitals

Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.