CMS Price Transparency Data

CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine)

Facility: El Paso Children's Hospital

Billing Code: 72131 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$115

about 1.1× the $107 Medicare rate · typically $112–$220

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$115

About the fair price

1.1× Medicare

Medicare pays $107 Fair price $115 This hospital $115 Cash price $97 Hospital's list price $487

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other TX hospitals

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

Cheapest $46 Priciest $115

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

A fair price for a CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine) is about $115 (about 1.1× the $107 Medicare rate). El Paso Children's Hospital charges insurers about $115, or about $97 in cash — about the fair price. Located in El Paso, TX.

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	$350	328%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$127 - $365	119%
Aetnamajor	$351 - $390	329%
Cignamajor	$382	358%
Amerigroup	$105	98%
Health Net	$123	115%
Molina	$115 - $507	108%
+ 5 smaller / regional plans	$105 - $258

Excludes 3 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 97), 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 El Paso Children's Hospital 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 El Paso Children's Hospital

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

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