PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Cente

VancouverClark CountyAcute Care Hospitals

Lower back CT scan with contrast

Quality: 3 of 5 (CMS overall rating)Earliest available date: call (360) 256-2000

What you may pay

With insurance from an employer or private plan: $155 to $1,255Depends on your plan. Each plan’s price at this hospital:
Molina Healthcare of WA $155Below what Traditional Medicare pays this hospital for this ($389, CY2026 rate). Private plans almost always pay more than Medicare, so this may cover only part of the bill or be a mistake in the hospital’s file. Ask Molina Healthcare of WA for its rate before relying on it.
First Choice Health $357Below what Traditional Medicare pays this hospital for this ($389, CY2026 rate). Private plans almost always pay more than Medicare, so this may cover only part of the bill or be a mistake in the hospital’s file. Ask First Choice Health for its rate before relying on it.
Pacific Source: Commercial PSN/Voyager $441 Lower than typical
PremeraFirst: LifeWise Alpine $619 Lower than typical
Regence Blue Shield $1,125 Typical
Providence Health Plan $1,255 Typical
Typical at 38 hospitals we cover: $1,015 to $1,440 (each hospital’s middle plan price, hospital’s fee). Don’t see your plan? Ask your insurer for its rate here.
Paying yourself (cash price): $1,871 – $1,927The hospital lists 2 separate amounts for this procedure. They may be parts of one bill that you pay together (for example the hospital’s fee and the fee of the doctor who reads a scan) or alternatives (inpatient or outpatient). We don’t show one price or compare it until we can tell which; every line is listed below. Ask the hospital which lines apply to you.

These are prices the hospital published, not a quote. With insurance you usually pay part of the rate (your deductible and coinsurance); the estimator on the procedure page works it out. A higher price does not mean better care.

Doctors usually bill separately. At most hospitals these are the hospital’s own charges. The surgeon, radiologist, anesthesiologist or pathologist usually sends a separate bill: ask each of them for an estimate too.

Source: PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Cente’s own price file. CareNavIQ last refreshed prices on 2026-11-05.

Next step: ask the hospital for a Good Faith Estimate for this procedure (phone number above).

Bills to expect

A procedure usually brings several bills, each from whoever did that part of your care. Here is what to expect, with what Traditional Medicare allows for each doctor’s part in this area (Washington outside King County) and an estimate for private plans.

Separate bills for this procedure and their estimated amounts
Bill	Who sends it	How likely	Status	Traditional Medicare allows	Private plans (estimate)
Hospital's feeThe scan: equipment, technologist and contrast dye	The hospital	Expected	Published by the hospital: the prices above	—	—
RadiologistReading the scan and writing the report	The radiology group	Expected	Billed separately; amount estimated	$57	$67 to $102
Ordering doctor's visitThe visit where the CT scan is ordered or the results are explained	Your doctor	Possible	Billed separately; not priced	—	—

What you’d pay for these bills

Adds up your share of the hospital’s bill and the expected doctors’ bills above (not the possible ones). What you type stays in your browser.

Your coverage Insurance from an employer or a private plan Traditional Medicare Medicare Advantage Apple Health (Medicaid)

Your plan’s price at this hospitalDeductible you still have to pay this yearYour coinsurance after the deductibleOut-of-pocket maximum you have left this year (optional)

Your plan’s summary of benefits says how it charges for each kind of care. Leave these as they are if it uses the deductible and coinsurance.

The hospital's billHow your plan charges

The bill from the doctor doing the procedureHow your plan charges

You pay about $102 to $109 of about $508 to $543 billed to your plan.

Your share of the hospital's bill is about $88; the rest is your share of the doctors' bills. The doctors' bills are estimates. Enter your out-of-pocket maximum to see whether you'd reach it. Assumes everyone is in your network.

How each bill comes to you

Each provider sends a claim to your plan. It applies its allowed amount, then your deductible, copay and coinsurance, and sends you an Explanation of Benefits. Then the provider bills you the “You owe” line. Bills are in the order your plan is assumed to process them, the hospital first. The doctors' bills are estimates.

Show the bills at the lower estimate the higher estimate

Hospital's feeSent by the hospital
The provider's chargeThe hospital's price file doesn't list one charge for this; in network it doesn't change what you owe.
Not published
Allowed amountWhat the insurer counts for this bill.
$441
Your plan pays
$353
Your coinsurance
$88.21
You oweThe provider bills you this after the insurer pays.
$88.21
RadiologistSent by the radiology group
The provider's chargeDoctors don't publish their charges; in network it doesn't change what you owe.
Not published
Allowed amountWhat the insurer counts for this bill.
$67.04
Your plan pays
$53.63
Your coinsurance
$13.41
You oweThe provider bills you this after the insurer pays.
$13.41

All bills: allowed amounts: $508
Your plan pays: $406
You owe in all: $102

Who owes what, and when you might owe more

The insurance adjustment Written off
An in-network provider agrees to accept your plan's allowed amount. The difference between its charge and that amount is written off: you don't owe it, and it shouldn't appear on your bill.
Deductible You pay
What you pay each year before your plan starts sharing costs. It is applied to bills in the order your plan processes them, so the first bill can take all of it.
Copay You pay
A fixed amount for a kind of care, such as a hospital stay or a surgeon's visit. Your plan's summary of benefits says whether it applies before or after the deductible, and whether a stay's copay is per day.
Coinsurance You pay
Your percentage of the allowed amount after the deductible, such as 20%.
Out-of-pocket maximum Your plan pays
Once your deductible, copays and coinsurance for the year reach it, your plan pays 100% of covered in-network care for the rest of the plan year.
Each provider bills separately You pay
The hospital, surgeon, anesthesia group, radiologist and pathologist each send their own claim and their own bill. All of them count toward the same deductible and yearly maximum.
Out of network and surprise bills It depends
A provider outside your plan's network can bill you the difference between its charge and what your plan pays (a balance bill). It can't for emergency care, or when anesthesia, radiology, pathology, an assistant surgeon or a hospital doctor treats you at an in-network hospital: under federal law (the No Surprises Act) and, for Washington-regulated plans and self-funded plans that opt in, RCW 48.49, those groups cannot balance bill you. Your deductible and coinsurance still apply, at in-network amounts.
Not covered, or no prior authorization It depends
If your plan decides a service isn't covered, or it needed prior authorization that wasn't approved, the plan pays nothing for it and the provider may bill you. Ask the provider to get prior authorization before your care. If an in-network provider didn't get it, the provider's contract may stop it billing you: ask your plan before you pay.
A second insurance It depends
If you have a second plan, the first plan pays first and the second may then pay some or all of your share. These estimates use one plan only.
Wait for the Explanation of Benefits You pay
After each claim your insurer sends an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) with the allowed amount, what it paid and what you may owe. It is not a bill. Pay a provider's bill only when it matches the EOB's “you may owe” amount, and ask the provider or insurer about any difference.
Help from the hospital It depends
Washington hospitals must give free or discounted care based on income, including deductibles and coinsurance for insured patients: free up to 200% or 300% of the federal poverty level depending on the hospital, with discounts above that (RCW 70.170). You can apply after you get a bill. It covers the hospital's bill; doctor groups that bill separately have their own policies.
If you pay yourself instead You pay
You can choose not to use your insurance and pay the cash price; then nothing counts toward your deductible. Ask each provider for a Good Faith Estimate. If a bill is $400 or more above it, you can dispute it within 120 days.

Get it confirmed before your care

The hospital, each doctor’s group and your insurer can each confirm their part in writing. Here is a request for each one, ready to send from your own email, and what to say if you’d rather call. Nothing you do here is saved.

Coming: CareNavIQ will be able to send these for you, follow up, and tell you when everything is confirmed, with your permission.

How you’ll payWith insurancePaying myself, without insurance

PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Cente

The largest bill.

Request to send

Subject: Estimate request: lower back ct scan with contrast at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Cente

Hello,

I am planning a lower back ct scan with contrast (billing code CPT 72132) at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Cente.

Under Washington law (RCW 70.01.030), I am asking for a written estimate of the hospital's charges, with the billing codes you plan to use.

Name: [YOUR NAME]
Date of birth: [DATE OF BIRTH]
Insurance: [PLAN NAME], member ID [MEMBER ID]
Planned date: [DATE, IF KNOWN]

Thank you.

Replace the words in [brackets] with your details before you send it.

Open in my email

If you call. Call (360) 256-2000 and ask for the price estimate or patient financial services line. Say: "I'd like a written estimate for my lower back ct scan with contrast."

I’ve sent this one

0 of 3 sent. Washington law gives you the right to these estimates but sets no deadline: if you haven't heard back in five business days, send it again or call.

How these are worked out. Medicare amounts are CMS’s 2026 physician fee schedule for this area, at the rate for care in a hospital. Private-plan estimates are 118% to 179% of Medicare for doctors (the range across 19 studies in KFF’s review of what private insurers pay) and 3 to 5 times Medicare for anesthesia (a published industry estimate). Anesthesia is paid by the minute, so its range assumes the time shown. Medicare pays an assistant at surgery 13.6% to 16% of the surgeon’s fee. Where we have your insurer’s own published rates for the doctors here (below), the estimator uses those for that insurer’s employer plans instead. Your plan’s own rates may be outside these ranges: ask each office for an estimate, and for its network status. At an in-network hospital, the anesthesia, radiology, pathology and assistant groups can’t charge you more than your in-network cost share, even if they are out of network (No Surprises Act).

50 published prices, grouped by who each price applies to.

Cash price 2 prices

The hospital's discounted price for patients paying without insurance.

Cash price prices for Lower back CT scan with contrast at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Cente
Price	Part of the bill	Hospital’s description	How it’s set	Setting	Source date
$1,871	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	—	Outpatient	—
$1,927	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	—	Outpatient	—

List price (before discounts) 2 prices

The hospital's full chargemaster price. Few patients pay this amount.

List price (before discounts) prices for Lower back CT scan with contrast at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Cente
Price	Part of the bill	Hospital’s description	How it’s set	Setting	Source date
$2,879	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	—	Outpatient	—
$2,965	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	—	Outpatient	—

Commercial insurance 12 prices

Rate negotiated with a private insurer or employer plan, including exchange and public-option plans.

Prices marked “below Medicare” are less than Traditional Medicare pays this hospital for the same code. They may be one line of a bigger bill or a mistake in the hospital’s file: ask the plan for its rate.

Commercial insurance prices for Lower back CT scan with contrast at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Cente
Payer	Plan	Price	Part of the bill	Hospital’s description	How it’s set	Setting	Source date
First Choice Health	Commercial	$357Below Medicare ($389)	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	fee schedule	Outpatient	—
First Choice Health	Commercial	$357Below Medicare ($389)	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	fee schedule	Outpatient	—
Molina Healthcare of WA	Commercial	$155Below Medicare ($389)	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
Molina Healthcare of WA	Commercial	$155Below Medicare ($389)	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—
Pacific Source	Commercial PSN/Voyager	$441	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	fee schedule	Outpatient	—
Pacific Source	Commercial PSN/Voyager	$441	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	fee schedule	Outpatient	—
PremeraFirst	LifeWise Alpine	$619	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
PremeraFirst	LifeWise Alpine	$619	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—
Providence Health Plan	Commercial	$1,255	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—
Providence Health Plan	Commercial	$1,255	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
Regence Blue Shield	Commercial	$1,125	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
Regence Blue Shield	Commercial	$1,125	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—

Medicare Advantage 26 prices

Rate for a private Medicare Advantage plan. Applies only to members of that plan.

Medicare Advantage prices for Lower back CT scan with contrast at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Cente
Payer	Plan	Price	Part of the bill	Hospital’s description	How it’s set	Setting	Source date
Aetna Health	Medicare Advantage	$426	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
Aetna Health	Medicare Advantage	$426	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—
Atrio Health Plans	Medicare Advantage	$445	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—
Atrio Health Plans	Medicare Advantage	$445	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
Devoted	Medicare Advantage	$406	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
Devoted	Medicare Advantage	$406	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—
Health Net Health Plan	Medicare Advantage	$426	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—
Health Net Health Plan	Medicare Advantage	$426	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
Humana Health Plan	Medicare HMO/PPO	$426	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—
Humana Health Plan	Medicare HMO/PPO	$426	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
Kaiser Northwest	Medicare Advantage	$402	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
Kaiser Northwest	Medicare Advantage	$402	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—
Moda Health Plan	Medicare Advantage	$387	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—
Moda Health Plan	Medicare Advantage	$387	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
Molina Healthcare of WA	Medicare Advantage	$414	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
Molina Healthcare of WA	Medicare Advantage	$414	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—
Pacific Source	Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO	$406	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—
Pacific Source	Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO	$406	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
Regence Blue Shield	Medicare Advantage HMO	$398	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
Regence Blue Shield	Medicare Advantage HMO	$398	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—
Regence Blue Shield	Medicare Advantage PPO	$398	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—
Regence Blue Shield	Medicare Advantage PPO	$398	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
United Healthcare	Medicare Advantage	$406	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
United Healthcare	Medicare Advantage	$406	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—
Wellcare	Medicare Advantage	$426	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
Wellcare	Medicare Advantage	$426	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—

Medicaid managed care 2 prices

Rate for an Apple Health managed-care plan. Applies only to members of that plan.

Medicaid managed care prices for Lower back CT scan with contrast at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Cente
Payer	Plan	Price	Part of the bill	Hospital’s description	How it’s set	Setting	Source date
Kaiser Northwest	Managed Medicaid	$402	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
Kaiser Northwest	Managed Medicaid	$402	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—

Unknown 6 prices

The source file doesn't say which population this rate applies to.

Unknown prices for Lower back CT scan with contrast at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Cente
Payer	Plan	Price	Part of the bill	Hospital’s description	How it’s set	Setting	Source date
Pacific Source	Coordinated Care (Ind and NonInd)	$416	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	fee schedule	Outpatient	—
Pacific Source	Coordinated Care (Ind and NonInd)	$416	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	fee schedule	Outpatient	—
United Healthcare	All Payer Appendix	$1,080	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—
United Healthcare	All Payer Appendix	$1,080	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
United Healthcare	Doctors Plan	$1,020	Hospital’s fee	CT LUMBAR SPINE W/DYE	other	Outpatient	—
United Healthcare	Doctors Plan	$1,020	Hospital’s fee	CT SCAN OF LOWER SPINE WITH CONTRAST	other	Outpatient	—

Doctors here who do this procedure

2 doctors affiliated with PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Cente billed Traditional Medicare for Lower back CT scan with contrast in 2024, most Medicare services first. See all doctors and practices, including those with no hospital affiliation.

Doctors affiliated with PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Cente who billed Traditional Medicare for Lower back CT scan with contrast
Doctor or practice	Practice	Medicare quality score	Times billed to Traditional Medicare (2024)	Traditional Medicare amount for their own service (2024)
David Johnson, MDDiagnostic Radiology · Vancouver	Swedish Health ServicesGroup of 1,037 clinicians	Not rated	19	$55.03 at a hospital or surgery center
Brendan Mccullough, MDDiagnostic Radiology · Lynnwood	Swedish Health ServicesGroup of 1,037 clinicians	Not rated	13	$55.50 at a hospital or surgery center

Reading the doctor list

A higher price doesn’t mean better care. The quality score and the price come from different CMS files and are shown separately on purpose.
The amount is what Traditional Medicare (original Medicare) approved for the doctor’s or lab’s own service: Medicare’s payment plus the patient’s share. It is not what commercial insurance or Medicare Advantage pays, and the hospital or surgery center bills separately (surgery centers aren’t in this list).
The Medicare quality score is CMS’s MIPS final score (0 to 100), based mostly on the doctor’s Medicare patients. About half of doctors aren’t scored, so Not rated says nothing bad about a doctor. A group’s score covers everyone in the group.
CMS doesn’t publish counts under 11 patients, so doctors who rarely bill Medicare for this aren’t listed, and No price published means CMS has no amount for that setting.
Medicare’s file doesn’t say where a doctor did the procedure, only that they billed it in Washington. Affiliations are the hospitals each doctor lists with Medicare.

See a price that looks wrong? Tell us about it.

PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Cente

What you may pay

Bills to expect

What you’d pay for these bills

How each bill comes to you

1 Hospital's feeSent by the hospital

2 RadiologistSent by the radiology group

Get it confirmed before your care

PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Cente

Cash price 2 prices

List price (before discounts) 2 prices

Commercial insurance 12 prices

Medicare Advantage 26 prices

Medicaid managed care 2 prices

Unknown 6 prices

Doctors here who do this procedure

Reading the doctor list

Hospital's feeSent by the hospital

RadiologistSent by the radiology group