Mid and Lower Back (Thoracolumbar Spine) X-ray at University Hospitals Lake West Medical Center

36000 Euclid Avenue, Willoughby OH 44094|7590 Auburn Road, OH · University Hospitals · · NPI 1972689172

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jul 14, 2026 · Ingested Aug 14, 2026

$408.00

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.

$544.00

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.

$82.33 with WellCare by AllWell vs $489.60 with Ohio Health Choice — 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
WellCare by AllWell Medicare Advantage $82.33 ↓ -80%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $82.33 ↓ -80%
Anthem Medicare Advantage $82.33 ↓ -80%
Cigna Medicare Advantage $82.33 ↓ -80%
Devoted Health Medicare Advantage $82.33 ↓ -80%
Humana Medicare Advantage $82.33 ↓ -80%
Medical Mutual of Ohio Medicare Advantage $82.33 ↓ -80%
Molina Medicare Advantage $82.33 ↓ -80%
Primetime Health Plan Medicare Advantage $82.33 ↓ -80%
SummaCare Medicare Advantage $82.33 ↓ -80%
The Health Plan Medicare Advantage $82.33 ↓ -80%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $82.33 ↓ -80%
Paramount Medicare Advantage $84.80 ↓ -79%
Valor Health Plans Medicare Advantage $86.45 ↓ -79%
Perennial Advantage of Ohio Medicare Advantage $86.45 ↓ -79%
University Health Employee Plan (Contigo) Commercial $87.52 ↓ -79%
Ambetter Commercial $148.20 ↓ -64%
CareSource Marketplace $148.20 ↓ -64%
Anthem Pathway HMO Commercial $157.10 ↓ -61%
Anthem Pathway PPO Commercial $175.13 ↓ -57%
Medical Mutual of Ohio MedFlex Commercial $191.44 ↓ -53%
Anthem Blue Access Commercial $196.37 ↓ -52%
Cigna Commercial $208.14 ↓ -49%
Medical Mutual of Ohio ACA Northern Ohio Commercial $210.47 ↓ -48%
Medical Mutual of Ohio SuperMed Commercial $212.71 ↓ -48%
Medical Mutual Traditional Commercial $214.79 ↓ -47%
Anthem Traditional Commercial $224.46 ↓ -45%
United Healthcare Commercial $249.96 ↓ -39%
Amish Aid Community Plan Fund $250.24 ↓ -39%
Amish Church Fund and Workers Aid Plan Fund $250.24 ↓ -39%
Buckeye Plain Ministries Fund $250.24 ↓ -39%
Immergrun Commercial $272.00 ↓ -33%
Christian Healthcare Ministries Fund $272.00 ↓ -33%
Sunrise Plan Communities Fund $272.00 ↓ -33%
SummaCare Commercial $277.44 ↓ -32%
Aetna Commercial $298.66 ↓ -27%
AultCare Commercial $299.20 ↓ -27%
HealthSmart Commercial $353.60 ↓ -13%
Ohio Health Choice Preferred Health Choice Plus Commercial $353.60 ↓ -13%
Beech Street Commercial $435.20 ↑ +7%
Ohio Preferred Network Commercial $435.20 ↑ +7%
First Health Commercial $451.52 ↑ +11%
Century Health Network Commercial $462.40 ↑ +13%
Private Healthcare System Commercial $467.84 ↑ +15%
MultiPlan Commercial $489.60 ↑ +20%
Fortified Provider Network Commercial $489.60 ↑ +20%
Ohio Health Choice Commercial $489.60 ↑ +20%
Aetna (Ohio Rise) Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Humana Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Molina Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
CareSource Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Buckeye Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Mid and Lower Back (Thoracolumbar Spine) X-ray at other Ohio hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Jewish Hospital Cincinnati $328.80 not published
Anderson Hospital Cincinnati $218.40 not published
Clermont Hospital Batavia $328.80 not published
Kings Mills Hospital Mason $218.40 not published
Mercy West Hospital Cincinnati $328.80 not published
St Ritas Medical Center Lima $406.80 not published
cleveland clinic main campus Cleveland $449.80 $1.10 – $547.20
akron general Akron $449.80 $0.87 – $547.20

All Ohio hospitals for this procedure →