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Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) CT scan (without contrast) at Banner Desert Medical Center

1400 South Dobson Road, Mesa, AZ · Banner Health · · NPI 1720011810

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 2, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$505.64

Cash price

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Discounted cash price

What a hospital charges a self-pay patient who pays directly, without going through insurance — usually well below the gross charge.

Example: A CT scan has a $3,200 gross charge but an $850 discounted cash price. Ask for it by name when scheduling — hospitals don't always advertise it up front.

Full explanation →

What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$2,593.00

Gross charge

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Gross charge (chargemaster price)

The hospital's full, undiscounted list price — pulled from its internal "chargemaster" price list. Almost no one actually pays this.

Example: A chest X-ray has a gross charge of $1,450. The same hospital's discounted cash price for the same X-ray is $180 — the gross charge mostly anchors negotiations, not what patients pay.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$79.00 with Mercy Care vs $1,944.75 with Provider Network of America — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
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Negotiated rate

The price a specific insurance plan agreed to pay the hospital for a service — it varies by insurer, and even by plan within the same insurer.

Example: The same knee MRI has a negotiated rate of $904 with one insurer's PPO plan and $1,509 with another's — identical hospital, identical scan.

Full explanation →

Payer
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Payer

The insurance company footing the bill — Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, and so on.

Example: "Blue Cross Blue Shield" is the payer. Its negotiated rate for an MRI might be $904, while a different payer's negotiated rate for the same scan is $1,509.

Full explanation →
Plan
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Plan

The specific product an insurer sells — e.g. "Blue Cross PPO 500" — which sets your deductible, coinsurance and negotiated rates.

Example: Two people both insured by Aetna can owe very different amounts for the same MRI: $50 with an HMO plan's flat copay, or the full $1,200 toward a high-deductible PPO plan's unmet deductible.

Full explanation →
Negotiated rate vs. cash
Mercy Care Mercy Medicaid $79.00 ↓ -84%
Banner University Health Plan AZ Medicaid - AHCCCS $79.00 ↓ -84%
Health Net Medicaid $79.00 ↓ -84%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicaid $79.00 ↓ -84%
Arizona Physicians IPA Medicaid $79.00 ↓ -84%
UPMC Health Plan Medicare Advantage $113.34 ↓ -78%
Gila River Health Care Corporation Managed Care Program $113.34 ↓ -78%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. HMO Medicare Advantage Plans $113.34 ↓ -78%
Banner University Health Plan University Care Advantage $113.34 ↓ -78%
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN VA Community Care Network $113.34 ↓ -78%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. PPO Medicare Advantage Plan $113.34 ↓ -78%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicare Advantage $113.34 ↓ -78%
United Healthcare UHC Medicare Advantage $113.34 ↓ -78%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $113.34 ↓ -78%
Humana Medicare Advantage $113.34 ↓ -78%
Health Net Medicare $113.34 ↓ -78%
Wellpoint Medicare Advantage HMO $113.34 ↓ -78%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Medicare Advantage $113.34 ↓ -78%
Mercy Care Mercy Care Advantage $113.34 ↓ -78%
Arizona Physicians IPA Medicare Advantage $113.34 ↓ -78%
Banner Health Medicare Advantage $113.34 ↓ -78%
Care 1st Medicare Advantage $113.34 ↓ -78%
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Medicare Advantage $113.34 ↓ -78%
Carelon Medicare Advantage $119.01 ↓ -76%
Devoted Health Services Medicare Advantage $119.01 ↓ -76%
Gold Kidney Health Plan Medicare Advantage $124.67 ↓ -75%
Arizona Priority Care Medicare Advantage $124.67 ↓ -75%
NaphCare Federal Prison System $153.01 ↓ -70%
Aetna Qualified Health Plan $154.14 ↓ -70%
United Healthcare Individual Exchange $158.68 ↓ -69%
Health Net Commerical Exchange Product $167.74 ↓ -67%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. ACA Health Plan $170.01 ↓ -66%
Oscar Health Plan Commercial $187.01 ↓ -63%
Aetna Banner Employee Plans $341.00 ↓ -33%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Neighborhood $457.11 ↓ -10%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ MaricopaFocus $457.11 ↓ -10%
United Healthcare UHC Doctor's Plan $467.28 ↓ -8%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Alliance/Blue HPN $487.58 ↓ -4%
United Healthcare UHC Core $509.21 ↑ +1%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Alliance CHS $511.96 ↑ +1%
United Healthcare Commercial $551.65 ↑ +9%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Commercial $609.47 ↑ +21%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Medicare Supplemental Senior Preferred $609.47 ↑ +21%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Workers Comp $609.47 ↑ +21%
Hospice of the Valley Medicare $907.55 ↑ +79%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. LocalFlex $1,013.00 ↑ +100%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. Commercial $1,126.00 ↑ +123%
National Healthcare Solutions Inc (NHSI) and VIP Universal Medical Insurance Group (VUMI) NHSI VUMI $1,166.85 ↑ +131%
Plotkin Health Plotkin Health $1,166.85 ↑ +131%
Aetna Joint Venture $1,197.97 ↑ +137%
Aetna Designated Group $1,273.16 ↑ +152%
Aetna Medical Rental $1,366.51 ↑ +170%
Quiktrip Corporation Commercial $1,400.22 ↑ +177%
Aetna Broad Network $1,496.16 ↑ +196%
Arizona Medical Network Commercial $1,815.10 ↑ +259%
Provider Network of America Commercial $1,944.75 ↑ +285%
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN Tricare not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) CT scan (without contrast) at other Arizona hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner Baywood Medical Center Mesa $407.10 $79.00 – $1,944.75
Banner Heart Hospital Mesa $417.47 $79.00 – $1,944.75
Banner University Medical Center Phoenix Phoenix $430.44 $79.00 – $1,944.75
Banner University Medical Center South Tucson $266.57 $79.00 – $1,679.20
Banner University Medical Center Tucson Tucson $272.87 $79.00 – $1,679.20
Banner Casa Grande Medical Center Casa Grande $427.85 $79.00 – $1,944.75
Banner Boswell Medical Center Sun City $412.29 $79.00 – $2,074.40
Banner Del Webb Medical Center Sun City West $453.78 $79.00 – $2,074.40

All Arizona hospitals for this procedure →