CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine)
Facility: Copley Hospital
Billing Code: 72131 (CPT)
This hospital's typical commercial price is $665 compared to the $161 fair price benchmark.
2-Star CMS clinical quality rating paired with 4.13× fair market pricing.
On the higher side — 7 of 8 other VT hospitals charge less.
Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 VT hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.
A fair price for a CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine) is about $161 (about 1.5× the $107 Medicare rate). Copley Hospital charges insurers about $665, or about $682 in cash — well above the fair price. Located in Morrisville, VT.
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 $161. 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.
3 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 |
|---|---|---|
| UnitedHealthcaremajor | $366 - $809 | 343% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor | $370 - $737 | 346% |
| Cignamajor | $809 | 757% |
| Harvard Pilgrim | $366 - $750 | 343% |
| MVP Health Care | $366 - $665 | 343% |
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 Copley Hospital
Compare: CT scan, lower back (lumbar spine) at other VT hospitals
- Porter Hospital Inc · Middlebury $52
- North Country Hospital and Health Center · Newport $55
- Gifford Medical Center · Randolph $69
- Central Vermont Medical Center · Barre $101
- Southwestern Vermont Medical Center · Bennington $101
- Brattleboro Memorial Hospital · Brattleboro $103
- Univ. of Vermont - Fletcher Allen Health Care · Burlington $122
- Grace Cottage Hospital · Townshend $907
Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.
Audit a Bill or Quote at Copley Hospital (Zero PHI Required)
Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $309
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 = $309).
Self-Pay Cash Rate ($682) Beats Your Bill
Copley Hospital's published 45 CFR § 180 self-pay cash rate is $682 (vs. $665 commercial insurer median). Ask billing to reclassify the visit to prompt-pay self-pay if it beats your deductible.
Negotiate Toward $161 Fair BaseRate ($107 Medicare)
Your bill ($852) is $691 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($161) and 8.0× the $107 Medicare rate.
Clinical Quality, Patient Experience & Infection Benchmarks
Source: CMS Hospital Care Compare. Clinical quality metrics summarize historical facility-wide cohorts and are not medical advice for individual care decisions.
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.