CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine)
Facility: Shriners Hospitals for Children
Billing Code: 72131 (CPT)
This hospital's typical commercial price is $285 compared to the $211 fair price benchmark.
Balances commercial hospital prices against CMS clinical safety, infection control, and patient experience.
Highest price of the 9 SC hospitals we have prices for — worth calling around.
Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 SC 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 $211 (about 2.0× the $107 Medicare rate). Shriners Hospitals for Children charges insurers about $285, or about $3,395 in cash — above the fair price. Located in Greenville, SC.
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 $211. 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.
4 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor | $309 - $485 | 289% |
| Aetnamajor | $123 | 115% |
| Cignamajor | $139 | 130% |
| Humanamajor | $309 | 289% |
| Ambetter (Centene) | $100 - $309 | 94% |
| AmeriHealth | $115 - $139 | 108% |
| Molina | $309 | 289% |
| Providence Health Plan | $261 | 244% |
| SelectHealth | $309 | 289% |
| + 1 smaller / regional plan | $140 |
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.
Other Procedures at Shriners Hospitals for Children
Compare: CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine) at other SC hospitals
- Conway Medical Center · Conway $75
- Beaufort County Memorial Hospital · Beaufort $98
- McLeod Health Cheraw · Cheraw $104
- Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital · Greenville $105
- Prisma Health North Greenville Ltach · Travelers Rest $106
- Prisma Health Hillcrest Hospital · Simpsonville $108
- Prisma Health Patewood Hospital · Greenville $108
- Novant Health Hilton Head Medical Center · Hilton Head Island $109
Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.
Audit a Bill or Quote at Shriners Hospitals for Children (Zero PHI Required)
Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $1,232
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 = $1,232).
Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible
Shriners Hospitals for Children's published 45 CFR § 180 self-pay cash rate is $3,395 (vs. $285 commercial insurer median). Ask billing to reclassify the visit to prompt-pay self-pay if it beats your deductible.
Negotiate Toward $211 Fair BaseRate ($107 Medicare)
Your bill ($3,395) is $3,184 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($211) and 31.7× the $107 Medicare rate.
How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings
Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings
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.