CMS Price Transparency Data

CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine)

Facility: Tufts Medical Center

Billing Code: 72131 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence

A fair price for this

$187

about 1.7× the $107 Medicare rate · typically $126–$487

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$396

Well above the fair price

about $209 over the fair price · 3.7× Medicare

Medicare pays $107 Fair price $187 This hospital $396 Cash price $368 Hospital's list price $525

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other MA hospitals

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

Cheapest $113 Priciest $396

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

A fair price for a CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine) is about $187 (about 1.7× the $107 Medicare rate). Tufts Medical Center charges insurers about $396, or about $368 in cash — well above the fair price. Located in Boston, MA.

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 $187. 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	$56 - $700	52%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$189 - $700	177%
Aetnamajor	$109 - $700	102%
Cignamajor	$175 - $560	164%
Humanamajor	$700	655%
AmeriHealth	$122 - $245	114%
AvMed	$122 - $245	114%
GEHA	$122 - $245	114%
Harvard Pilgrim	$56 - $113	52%
Tufts Health Plan	$99 - $700	93%
WellSense	$92 - $249	86%
+ 107 smaller / regional plans	$56 - $700

Government programs also on file: Medicare, Medicaid.

Excludes 12 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 368), 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 Tufts Medical Center 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 Tufts Medical Center

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

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