CMS Price Transparency Data

CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine)

Facility: Kaleida Health

Billing Code: 72131 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$119

about 1.1× the $107 Medicare rate · typically $96–$167

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$117

About the fair price

about $2 under the fair price · 1.1× Medicare

Medicare pays $107 Fair price $119 This hospital $117 Cash price $473 Hospital's list price $473

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NY hospitals

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

Cheapest $48 Priciest $117

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

⚠ 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 $119 (about 1.1× the $107 Medicare rate). Kaleida Health charges insurers about $117, or about $473 in cash — about the fair price. Located in Buffalo, NY.

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

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna HumanaKaiser 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	$36 - $142	34%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$40 - $487	37%
Aetnamajor	$58 - $138	54%
Cignamajor	$153 - $185	143%
Fidelis Care	$25 - $141	23%
Independent Health	$76 - $249	71%
MagnaCare	$97 - $125	91%
Molina	$24 - $42	22%
WellCare	$48 - $136	45%
+ 6 smaller / regional plans	$40 - $594

Government programs also on file: Military & VA.

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 473), 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 Kaleida Health 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 Kaleida Health

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

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