Chest X-ray
A chest X-ray takes pictures of the lungs, heart, ribs, and diaphragm. This code covers the two-view version — usually one image from the front and one from the side. It is quick, painless, and the single most common imaging test in medicine.
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What it is
An X-ray sends a small amount of radiation through the body onto a detector. Dense structures such as bone block more of it and show up pale; air-filled lungs let most of it through and show up dark. A chest X-ray captures the lungs, the heart and large vessels, the ribs, and the diaphragm in a single image. Two views are taken rather than one because the chest is three-dimensional: something hidden behind the heart or the spine on the front view often shows clearly on the side view. Fewer views is a different code and a lower price; a CT scan of the chest is a far more detailed and far more expensive study altogether.
Why it is done
- To look into symptoms such as a cough that won't go away, shortness of breath, chest pain, or fever
- To diagnose pneumonia and other lung infections
- To check the size and shape of the heart, or to look for fluid in or around the lungs
- To follow up on a previous X-ray, or to check the position of a tube or line after it has been placed
What to expect
There is essentially no preparation. Patients remove jewelry and anything metal above the waist and change into a gown, then stand against the imaging plate, hold still, and hold their breath for a few seconds while each image is taken. The whole visit typically takes about fifteen minutes and nothing about it hurts, though the room and the plate can feel cold. The radiation dose is small. Anyone who is or might be pregnant should say so beforehand. A radiologist reads the images and sends a report to the ordering doctor.
Questions worth asking
- Is this the two-view study or a single view? The codes and the prices differ.
- Will I get two bills — one for taking the image and one for the radiologist reading it? Ask whether the radiology group is in network, not just the facility.
- Can this be done at a freestanding imaging center or an urgent care instead of a hospital radiology department, and what does each charge?
- If I've had a recent chest X-ray elsewhere, can the images be sent over instead of repeating the study?
What Chest X-ray costs by state
- Chest X-ray cost in Texas — 109 hospitals, median $457.05
- Chest X-ray cost in California — 90 hospitals, median $384.80
- Chest X-ray cost in Florida — 77 hospitals, median $998.59
- Chest X-ray cost in Ohio — 68 hospitals, median $365.40
- Chest X-ray cost in Illinois — 51 hospitals, median $316.80
- Chest X-ray cost in Virginia — 43 hospitals, median $252.00
- Chest X-ray cost in Tennessee — 38 hospitals, median $81.80
- Chest X-ray cost in Pennsylvania — 33 hospitals, median $322.40
- Chest X-ray cost in Wisconsin — 33 hospitals, median $261.25
- Chest X-ray cost in Washington — 32 hospitals, median $266.40
- Chest X-ray cost in Iowa — 29 hospitals, median $206.70
- Chest X-ray cost in Michigan — 27 hospitals, median $362.00
- Chest X-ray cost in Indiana — 26 hospitals, median $205.50
- Chest X-ray cost in Georgia — 25 hospitals, median $294.06
- Chest X-ray cost in Arizona — 24 hospitals, median $80.36
- Chest X-ray cost in Kentucky — 22 hospitals, median $303.79
- Chest X-ray cost in New Jersey — 22 hospitals, median $97.54
- Chest X-ray cost in New York — 22 hospitals, median $104.19
- Chest X-ray cost in Missouri — 21 hospitals, median $201.85
- Chest X-ray cost in Minnesota — 19 hospitals, median $245.45
- Chest X-ray cost in Oklahoma — 18 hospitals, median $184.60
- Chest X-ray cost in Colorado — 17 hospitals, median $1,006.41
- Chest X-ray cost in West Virginia — 17 hospitals, median $188.50
- Chest X-ray cost in North Carolina — 15 hospitals, median $232.30
- Chest X-ray cost in Nebraska — 13 hospitals, median $226.78
- Chest X-ray cost in Oregon — 13 hospitals, median $198.00
- Chest X-ray cost in Arkansas — 11 hospitals, median $219.70
- Chest X-ray cost in Kansas — 11 hospitals, median $1,005.96
- Chest X-ray cost in Mississippi — 11 hospitals, median $116.03
- Chest X-ray cost in South Carolina — 11 hospitals, median $248.00
- Chest X-ray cost in Maine — 7 hospitals, median $471.05
- Chest X-ray cost in South Dakota — 7 hospitals, median $350.40
- Chest X-ray cost in Alaska — 5 hospitals, median $709.02
- Chest X-ray cost in Nevada — 4 hospitals, median $396.88
- Chest X-ray cost in North Dakota — 4 hospitals, median $219.20
- Chest X-ray cost in Wyoming — 4 hospitals, median $281.82
- Chest X-ray cost in Hawaii — 2 hospitals, median $128.00
- Chest X-ray cost in Maryland — 2 hospitals, median $89.40
- Chest X-ray cost in Montana — 2 hospitals, median $230.40
- Chest X-ray cost in New Mexico — 2 hospitals, median $331.80
- Chest X-ray cost in Louisiana — 1 hospitals, median $165.88
- Chest X-ray cost in New Hampshire — 1 hospitals, median $577.75
Chest X-ray prices at hospitals
- Chest X-ray at Henry Ford River District Hospital, China Township — $53.76
- Chest X-ray at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway, Rahway — $63.59
- Chest X-ray at Banner Heart Hospital, Mesa — $66.58
- Chest X-ray at Banner Casa Grande Medical Center, Casa Grande — $67.24
- Chest X-ray at Banner Goldfield Medical Center, Apache Junction — $67.57
- Chest X-ray at Dickenson Community Hospital, CLINTWOOD — $67.85
- Chest X-ray at Hancock County Hospital, SNEEDVILLE — $67.85
- Chest X-ray at Johnson County Community Hospital, MOUNTAIN CITY — $67.85
- Chest X-ray at Lee County Community Hospital, PENNINGTON GAP — $67.85
- Chest X-ray at 82-3844150 BMH Crittenden, West Memphis — $68.70
- Chest X-ray at Greeneville Community Hospital, GREENEVILLE — $69.30
- Chest X-ray at Smyth County Community Hospital, MARION — $69.30
- Chest X-ray at Franklin Woods Community Hospital, JOHNSON CITY — $69.30
- Chest X-ray at Johnson City Medical Center, JOHNSON CITY — $69.30
- Chest X-ray at Bristol Regional Medical Center, BRISTOL — $69.30
- Chest X-ray at Indian Path Community Hospital, KINGSPORT — $69.30
- Chest X-ray at Holston Valley Medical Center, KINGSPORT — $69.30
- Chest X-ray at Hawkins County Memorial Hospital, ROGERSVILLE — $69.30
- Chest X-ray at Sycamore Shoals Hospital, ELIZABETHTON — $69.30
- Chest X-ray at Johnston Memorial Hospital, ABINGDON — $69.30
See every published price for Chest X-ray: the full national range, the state and hospital breakdowns, and which hospitals charge the least.
Chest X-ray cost — see all prices →Sources
- MedlinePlus: Chest x-ray (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
- RadiologyInfo.org (RSNA/ACR): Chest X-ray (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
- Wikipedia (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)