CMS Price Transparency Data

CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine)

Facility: Mercy Hospital of Buffalo

Billing Code: 72131 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$105

about 1.0× the $107 Medicare rate · typically $89–$125

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$103

About the fair price

about $2 under the fair price · 1.0× Medicare

Medicare pays $107 Fair price $105 This hospital $103 Cash price $616 Hospital's list price $616

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 $103

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 $105 (about 1.0× the $107 Medicare rate). Mercy Hospital of Buffalo charges insurers about $103, or about $616 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.

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	$32 - $173	30%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$42 - $318	39%
Aetnamajor	$46 - $133	43%
Cignamajor	$46 - $184	43%
Humanamajor	$46 - $133	43%
Amerigroup	$42 - $237	39%
Fidelis Care	$41 - $318	38%
Independent Health	$42 - $303	39%
MagnaCare	$46 - $127	43%
Molina	$94 - $448	88%
MVP Health Care	$62 - $188	58%
UPMC Health Plan	$62 - $289	58%
WellCare	$47 - $139	44%
+ 16 smaller / regional plans	$40 - $514

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

Excludes 1 rental-network / third-party entry (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 616), 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 Mercy Hospital of Buffalo 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 Mercy Hospital of Buffalo

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

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