Skip to main content
PricedCare

X-ray of the lower spine (4 or more views) in San Francisco, CA costs $385 to $1,074. Here's every hospital's price.

6 hospitals in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area publish a cash price for x-ray of the lower spine (4 or more views) (CPT 72110). We read their files every month so you don't have to.

Across the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, 6 hospitals list a cash price for x-ray of the lower spine (4 or more views) (CPT 72110). The lowest is $385 at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, the median is $588 and the highest is $1,074 at Chinese Hospital. The most expensive hospital lists 2.8 times the cheapest for the same code.

The San Francisco, CA median of $588 is 58% above the national median of $371 across 553 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

6 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $63 to $1,933. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which is sometimes higher than the cash price; you may ask for the cash price instead.

The files behind these prices are dated between April 2026 and July 2026. 31 other hospitals in the metro area have no readable price for this code: some publish no file, some block automated reading, some leave the code out. They are listed below so you can call them.

$385
lowest cash price in San Francisco, CA
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland · 4 mi
$203 below the median
$588
median cash price
6 hospitals
2.8×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
6/38
hospitals with a cash price
31 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

Oakland · 4 mi · File Apr 2026

$385
list $1,284
2
Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley

Pleasanton · 22 mi · File Apr 2026

$458
list $1,144 · lowest of 4 lines
3
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco

South San Francisco · 12 mi · File Apr 2026

$588
list $1,050 · lowest of 2 lines
4
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont

Fremont · 22 mi · File Apr 2026

$588
list $1,050
5
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch

Antioch · 30 mi · File Apr 2026

$588
list $1,050 · lowest of 6 lines
6
Washington Hospital

Fremont · 22 mi · File Apr 2026

$783
list $1,004 · lowest of 7 lines
7
Chinese Hospital

San Francisco · 7 mi · File Jul 2026

$1,074
list $1,074
1

What's in the price

The hospital facility fee for CPT 72110. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.

2

Cash vs. insured

Cash is what you pay without insurance. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which can be higher than cash. You may ask for the cash price.

3

What to say on the phone

"I'd like the self-pay price for CPT 72110, in writing, and whether it covers facility, physician and anesthesia."

About x-ray of the lower spine (4 or more views)

CPT 72110 is a set of at least four X-ray images of the lumbar and sacral spine, taken from different angles. It is a common first test for lower-back pain after an injury, and for checking alignment and arthritis. It takes about 15 minutes.

What the price covers

The hospital's price is the technical fee for the X-ray room and technologist. The radiologist's reading is billed separately. Fewer views (72100, two or three views) is a cheaper code; ask which one your doctor ordered.

Why prices vary

Plain X-rays are inexpensive to perform, and the listed hospital prices reflect chargemaster policy more than cost: the same four views can list at $80 in one hospital and $800 in another. Physician offices and urgent-care clinics with their own X-ray equipment are often much cheaper than hospitals.

Questions to ask

  • Is this the price for 72110, and does it include the radiologist reading?
  • Would two or three views (72100) answer my doctor's question?
  • Can I have the X-ray done at an outpatient location or clinic instead?

Hospitals in San Francisco, CA without a price for this procedure

Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.

Questions people ask