Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet)

The bones of the foot move when you stand on it, so the alignment problems people go to a foot specialist about — bunions, collapsed arches — only show their true severity on a film taken with weight on the foot. Both feet are usually imaged because these deformities are rarely one-sided. This listing is the two-view foot study done on both sides.

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What it is

A bunion is not a growth on the side of the foot; it is the first metatarsal drifting inward while the big toe leans outward, and the bump is the joint left sticking out between them. How far that has gone is a measurement taken off an x-ray — the angle between two bones. The measurement only means something if the film was taken standing, because the bones sit differently once body weight is on them. The same is true of arch height. This code is the two-projection foot study, a step below the three-or-more-view series; two views is often all that is needed when the question is alignment rather than a hunt for a hairline crack. Both feet appear in one study because bunions, flat feet, and high arches are generally symmetrical problems and the comparison is part of the assessment.

Why it is done

To measure the angles between the bones of the forefoot in a bunion, which is how severity is graded and how an operation is chosen
To assess arch height and hindfoot alignment in flat or high-arched feet, with weight on the foot
To check the result and the position of the bones after foot surgery
To make a quick check for a fracture or dislocation after an injury
To locate glass, metal, or other material trodden into the foot

What to expect

For weight-bearing views you stand on the imaging plate with weight spread evenly on both feet, which is the whole point and can be briefly uncomfortable on a sore foot. The technologist angles the tube for the second projection rather than moving you much. Non-standing views are taken seated with the foot flat and then tilted. Either way each exposure is instantaneous and the appointment is a few minutes. Nothing is needed beforehand or afterward. Note that a two-view foot film is not a reliable test for an early stress fracture — those often do not appear until weeks later, whatever the number of views.

Questions worth asking

Was the study taken standing? A seated film will not answer an alignment question, and a repeat visit to redo it is a second charge.
Two views and a complete foot series are different codes. Which was performed, and which was billed?
If both feet were imaged, does that appear as one bilateral study or as two?
If these are pre-operative films for bunion surgery, are they inside the surgeon's global package or invoiced separately?
Post-operative films are usually taken at several points during healing. How many, and are they included in the surgical fee or billed each time?

What Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) costs by state

Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Texas — 109 hospitals, median $333.00
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Florida — 82 hospitals, median $558.28
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Ohio — 67 hospitals, median $352.20
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in California — 66 hospitals, median $301.60
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Illinois — 51 hospitals, median $324.10
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Virginia — 43 hospitals, median $296.00
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Tennessee — 38 hospitals, median $69.30
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Pennsylvania — 33 hospitals, median $231.20
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Wisconsin — 33 hospitals, median $319.44
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Iowa — 28 hospitals, median $193.28
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Michigan — 27 hospitals, median $358.61
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Indiana — 26 hospitals, median $290.40
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Georgia — 25 hospitals, median $333.85
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Washington — 25 hospitals, median $264.48
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in New Jersey — 23 hospitals, median $97.54
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in New York — 23 hospitals, median $104.19
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Arizona — 22 hospitals, median $89.86
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Kentucky — 22 hospitals, median $519.00
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Missouri — 21 hospitals, median $179.30
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Minnesota — 19 hospitals, median $224.80
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Oklahoma — 18 hospitals, median $287.95
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Colorado — 17 hospitals, median $941.03
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in West Virginia — 17 hospitals, median $194.00
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in North Carolina — 15 hospitals, median $193.18
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Nebraska — 13 hospitals, median $157.08
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Oregon — 13 hospitals, median $165.75
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Kansas — 11 hospitals, median $408.20
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Mississippi — 11 hospitals, median $86.08
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in South Carolina — 11 hospitals, median $247.00
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Arkansas — 10 hospitals, median $204.10
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Maine — 7 hospitals, median $294.10
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in South Dakota — 7 hospitals, median $260.00
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Alaska — 5 hospitals, median $485.16
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Nevada — 4 hospitals, median $448.34
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in North Dakota — 4 hospitals, median $207.20
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Wyoming — 4 hospitals, median $218.24
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Hawaii — 2 hospitals, median $152.32
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Louisiana — 2 hospitals, median $106.34
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Maryland — 2 hospitals, median $89.40
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in Montana — 2 hospitals, median $172.80
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in New Mexico — 2 hospitals, median $251.16
Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost in New Hampshire — 1 hospitals, median $346.60

Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) prices at hospitals

See every published price for Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet): the full national range, the state and hospital breakdowns, and which hospitals charge the least.

Foot X-ray (2 views, both feet) cost — see all prices →

Sources

OrthoInfo (AAOS): Bunions (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
RadiologyInfo (RSNA/ACR): X-ray (Radiography) - Bone (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
Wikipedia (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)

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