Skip to main content
States Procedures Methodology Search
CMS Price Transparency Data Hospital file updated: 2026-02-04

CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine)

Facility: Howard County Medical Center

Billing Code: 72131 (CPT)

Pillar 1 · The BaseRate™ CompositeHow 1.00× Fair BaseRate Works: Raw price averages unfairly penalize hospitals in high-wage cities or trauma centers treating sicker patients. We adjust for local CMS hospital wage levels and patient complexity first. A 1.00× score means right at the fair price average, 0.85× means 15% cheaper than fair market, and 1.30× means 30% above fair market.Near Fair BaseRate Benchmark
$125Fair BaseRate (0.97× Market)
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price3% Below Fair Price 1.00× (center of the bar) is the U.S. fair price average after accounting for local hospital wages and patient complexity. Left of center (<1.00×) is below fair price; right of center (>1.00×) is above fair price.

This hospital's typical commercial price is $121 compared to the $125 fair price benchmark.

Pillar 2 · VeriRate™ Data TrustHow VeriRate™ (0–100) Works: Hospitals are legally required to publish machine-readable price files, but some bury fake $0.01 numbers or omit cash discounts. VeriRate audits each file across 5 checks (hover any badge below to see what it tests).86/100 · Verified
86/100Hover Any Check Below to See How Prices Were Audited
File Completeness90Provenance (File Completeness): Checks whether the hospital published a complete, up-to-date machine-readable price file with valid CPT and MS-DRG billing codes instead of leaving blanks.
Price Logic88Coherence (Price Logic): Checks whether the hospital’s numbers make basic sense — e.g., self-pay cash price is lower than gross list price, with no fake $0.01 or $999,999 placeholder numbers.
Peer Alignment86Concordance (Peer Alignment): Checks whether reported prices sit in a realistic range compared to Medicare and nearby hospitals rather than wild 100× unit errors.
Clean Billing83Regularity (Clean Billing): Checks whether rates are structured consistently across procedures without erratic statistical spikes or hidden unbundled facility fees.
Real Cash Discount84Cash Honesty (Real Cash Discount): Checks whether the hospital offers a genuine self-pay cash discount that beats or matches commercial insurance rates instead of billing full sticker price.
Pillar 3 · Clinical Quality & ER SpeedChecks whether higher hospital prices actually buy better clinical quality — combining CMS Star Ratings, hospital safety scores, and emergency room wait times.Regional Value Leader
CMS Star RatingNot RatedOfficial CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating (1 to 5 stars) summarizing mortality, safety of care, readmissions, and patient experience.
Safety ScoreNot ScoredComposite patient safety score (0–100) derived from CMS hospital-acquired infection rates (CLABSI, CAUTI, MRSA, C. diff), surgical complications, and HCAHPS surveys.
Typical ER WaitNo ER DataMedian minutes patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, as reported to CMS Timely and Effective Care.

Balances commercial hospital prices against CMS clinical safety, infection control, and patient experience.

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence
A fair price for this
$125
about 1.2× the $107 Medicare rate · typically $113–$285
modeled estimate · not a bill or quote
What this hospital charges insurers
$121
About the fair price
about $4 under the fair price · 1.1× Medicare
Medicare pays $107 Fair price $125 This hospital $121 Cash price $2,669 Hospital's list price $2,669

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NE hospitals

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

Cheapest $88 Priciest $121

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

Note: The cash price looks unusually high next to the insurance price — it may be the full list price, not a real cash discount. Call to confirm the self-pay rate.

A fair price for a CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine) is about $125 (about 1.2× the $107 Medicare rate). Howard County Medical Center charges insurers about $121, or about $2,669 in cash — about the fair price. Located in St Paul, NE.

What each insurance company pays

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

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

UnitedHealthcareBlue Cross Blue ShieldAetnaHumana CignaKaiser 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 $119 - $2,562 111%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor $119 - $2,536 111%
Aetnamajor $45 - $2,536 42%
Humanamajor $101 95%
Ambetter (Centene) $237 222%
Medica $44 - $2,562 41%
Molina $124 - $1,334 116%
Oscar Health $207 194%
WellCare $122 114%
+ 4 smaller / regional plans $90 - $1,521
Government programs also on file: Military & VA.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Insurance Before you use insurance

Estimate your out-of-pocket cost

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

Enter your details and press estimate to compare.

Facility Profile & Credentials

  • Address: P O Box 406, 1113 Sherman St, St Paul, NE 68873
  • CMS Rating: No CMS Rating
  • Ownership Type: Voluntary non-profit - Other
  • Hospital Type: Critical Access Hospitals

Other Procedures at Howard County Medical Center

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

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

Inline Bill X-Ray & 501(r) Calculator 501(c)(3) Nonprofit · Free Care ≤200% FPL · AGB Cap 36.3%

Audit a Bill or Quote at Howard County Medical Center (Zero PHI Required)

CMS CCN: 281338
CPT 72131
Fair BaseRate™ $125
Medicare Rate $107
Self-Pay Cash $2,669
Insurer Median $121
Pre-filled with Howard County Medical Center’s charged/list benchmark
Screened against 2026 HHS Federal Poverty Guidelines
2026 FPL: $15,650 + $5,500 per additional person
Step 1 · 501(r) Charity Care Check 501(r) AGB Cap: $969 (274% FPL)

Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $969

At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (36.3% of gross = $969).

Step 2 · Cash vs. Insurance Arbitrage Published Cash: $2,669

Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible

Howard County Medical Center's published 45 CFR § 180 self-pay cash rate is $2,669 (vs. $121 commercial insurer median). Ask billing to reclassify the visit to prompt-pay self-pay if it beats your deductible.

Step 3 · Fair BaseRate Target +$2,544 Above Fair BaseRate

Negotiate Toward $125 Fair BaseRate ($107 Medicare)

Your bill ($2,669) is $2,544 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($125) and 24.9× the $107 Medicare rate.

1-Click Factual Dispute Summary: Copy a citation-backed benchmark memo (with CMS CCN, CPT code, Medicare reference, Fair BaseRate, and 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) calculations) to paste into patient-portal messages or billing appeals.
Care-Setting Arbitrage, Bilateral SVD Insurer Leverage & Regional Alternatives

How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings

45 CFR § 180 Primary-Source Lineage & Federal Verification Verified CMS CCN 281338

Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings

Download Official Hospital MRF ↗ Verify on CMS Medicare.gov (CCN 281338) ↗ CMS HCRIS Cost Reports ↗
Published MRF File470681056_howard-county-medical-center_standardcharges.csv
Publication / Vintage2026-02-04 · 85.63 MB
Validated Rate Rows811,802 (CMS v3.0.0)
File Integrity Digest94785ebbc44fd3456ab1…

Safe-Harbor Data Corrections: Parsed directly from public 45 CFR § 180 hospital filings, CMS Care Compare, and CMS HCRIS cost reports. Hospital compliance officers may submit updated MRF URLs or rate tables for verification.

Submit MRF Update Correction Policy