CMS Price Transparency Data

X-ray, neck (cervical spine)

Facility: St Louis Childrens Hospital

Billing Code: 72040 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$81

about 0.9× the $89 Medicare rate · typically $62–$159

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$86

About the fair price

about $5 over the fair price · 1.0× Medicare

Medicare pays $89 Fair price $81 This hospital $86 Cash price $181 Hospital's list price $302

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other MO hospitals

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

Cheapest $19 Priciest $86

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

A fair price for a X-ray, neck (cervical spine) is about $81 (about 0.9× the $89 Medicare rate). St Louis Childrens Hospital charges insurers about $86, or about $181 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Saint Louis, MO.

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	$86 - $224	97%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$86 - $257	97%
Aetnamajor	$86 - $239	97%
Cignamajor	$149 - $164	168%
Humanamajor	$86 - $225	97%
HealthLink	$146 - $228	164%
Medica	$90 - $242	101%
Priority Health	$164	184%
UniCare	$196 - $228	220%
+ 19 smaller / regional plans	$86 - $242

Excludes 6 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 181), 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: 72040.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm St Louis Childrens Hospital is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 72040.
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 St Louis Childrens Hospital

Compare: X-ray, neck (cervical spine) at other MO hospitals

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