X-Ray Chest price: Medicare anchor and facility lever

What this procedure is, in price terms

X-Ray Chest is billed under CPT 71046: Radiologic examination, chest; 2 views The code, not the marketing name, determines the Medicare anchor and the cash quote. If the order changes - for example with contrast instead of without, or a biopsy is added - the code changes and the price changes with it. Ask the ordering clinician's office to confirm the expected code before you price-shop, and ask the facility what code will be billed if the plan changes on the day.

What the price includes

• Image acquisition for two views
• Radiologist interpretation and written report (professional component)

What the price usually excludes

• Additional views billed under a different code
• The ordering visit and follow-up visit
• Comparison with prior imaging when billed as a separate interpretation in limited circumstances

A quote is complete only when it states which of the excluded items apply to you and what each costs. Get that in writing.

Why prices vary for CPT 71046

Chest X-ray is a low-anchor imaging service, so the dollar gap between settings is smaller than for MRI or CT. The pattern is the same: hospital facility payment plus professional fee versus office or imaging-center global payment. Because the anchor is small, a bundled cash price at an office or imaging center is often close to the Medicare global anchor, while a hospital bill can be several times higher once the facility portion is added. Confirm your price in writing before service.

Geography also matters. Physician Fee Schedule amounts are locality-adjusted, so the Michigan Locality 01 anchor on this page will differ somewhat from the amount in another locality. OPPS amounts are national unadjusted rates before the hospital wage index is applied. Use the anchor for order of magnitude and for the facility comparison, not as a prediction of your bill.

The facility-type lever

If you have a choice of site, ask for the global cash price at an office or imaging center and compare it with the hospital outpatient quote for the same 71046 code.

Compare the same CPT code in more than one setting when your clinician allows a choice:

• Hospital Outpatient Department - OPPS (APC-based facility payment) + Physician Fee Schedule professional fee. Facility fee: Yes - separate OPPS facility payment to the hospital.
• Ambulatory Surgery Center - ASC payment system (procedure-based, generally below OPPS) + Physician Fee Schedule professional fee. Facility fee: Yes - ASC facility fee, typically lower than hospital OPPS for the same procedure.
• Independent Imaging Center - Physician Fee Schedule global payment when the center owns the equipment and employs or contracts the radiologist. Facility fee: No separate hospital facility fee - the technical component is inside the global PFS payment.
• Physician Office - Physician Fee Schedule nonfacility payment (higher practice-expense component than facility rate). Facility fee: No separate facility fee - office overhead is inside the nonfacility PFS rate.

Use the Price Anchor Explorer to see how the anchor presentation changes by facility type.

Self-pay ranges on this page

Self-pay ranges are not published yet for X-Ray Chest. MyCarePrice adds a self-pay range only where it can be verified from a public source under Procedure Price Method v1.0. Until then, this page ships the verified Medicare anchor plus facility-type education. That is deliberate: an invented range would be worse than no range.

To get a real self-pay number today, ask the facility directly: "What is the all-in cash price for CPT 71046, including professional, facility, anesthesia, and pathology if they apply?" See How to ask for the cash price and Questions to ask billing before your procedure.

Questions to ask before you book

1. What CPT code will be billed if nothing changes, and what code will be billed if the plan changes?
2. Is the quote global, or will the professional fee bill separately?
3. What setting is this price for, and what would the same code cost in the other setting you offer?
4. Are anesthesia and pathology included, likely, or billed separately?
5. Can I have the all-in price in writing, with the code, setting, and inclusions listed?

Frequently asked questions

Sources and verification