Hip X-ray
A hip x-ray is the test that confirms most hip fractures, and the test that shows how far hip arthritis has progressed. This code covers a study of one hip that also takes in the pelvis, so the injured or painful side can be compared against the other.
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What it is
Two very different situations bring people to this film. One is the older adult who has fallen and cannot bear weight: the great majority of hip fractures are diagnosed on plain x-ray, and the images also show which part of the upper thighbone broke, which is what decides between a repair and a replacement. The other is the person with years of groin and buttock pain whose hip is wearing out: here the film is read for the width of the gap between ball and socket, for changes in the bone at the joint surface, and for the bone spurs that form around a worn joint. Because this study includes the pelvis, the surgeon can hold the two hips side by side, which is how subtle differences get noticed.
Why it is done
- To confirm a broken hip after a fall and to show the pattern of the break
- To grade wear in the joint, by looking at how much space is left between the ball and the socket
- To check the position of a hip replacement or a fixation device, either straight after surgery or years later
- To investigate hip or groin pain that has not settled, including in children and young adults where the anatomy itself may be the problem
- To look for bone changes from other causes, such as loss of blood supply to the ball of the joint
What to expect
The patient lies flat on the table with the legs positioned — often with the feet rotated slightly inward, which a painful hip may not tolerate — and the technologist steps away for each brief exposure. In an emergency department the film is sometimes taken with a portable machine at the bedside instead. The whole thing takes minutes. If the x-ray looks normal but the hip still cannot bear weight, a CT or MRI is sometimes added, because a small or incomplete fracture can hide on plain films. A radiologist reads and reports the images.
Questions worth asking
- Was one hip filmed or both? A study of both hips is a different code, and pelvis coverage is already included in this one.
- If this was taken with a portable machine in the emergency department or at the bedside, is a portable-equipment charge added?
- If plain films are inconclusive and a CT or MRI follows, will I be billed for both studies?
- If this is a pre-operative or post-operative film for a hip replacement, is it included in the surgeon's global fee or billed on its own?
- Is the reading radiologist in my network, even though the hospital is?
What Hip X-ray costs by state
- Hip X-ray cost in Texas — 109 hospitals, median $404.40
- Hip X-ray cost in Florida — 75 hospitals, median $781.81
- Hip X-ray cost in Ohio — 67 hospitals, median $395.20
- Hip X-ray cost in California — 66 hospitals, median $380.80
- Hip X-ray cost in Illinois — 51 hospitals, median $373.60
- Hip X-ray cost in Virginia — 43 hospitals, median $207.00
- Hip X-ray cost in Tennessee — 38 hospitals, median $118.22
- Hip X-ray cost in Pennsylvania — 33 hospitals, median $344.80
- Hip X-ray cost in Wisconsin — 33 hospitals, median $345.00
- Hip X-ray cost in Iowa — 29 hospitals, median $222.30
- Hip X-ray cost in Michigan — 27 hospitals, median $279.00
- Hip X-ray cost in Indiana — 26 hospitals, median $270.00
- Hip X-ray cost in Georgia — 25 hospitals, median $235.00
- Hip X-ray cost in Washington — 25 hospitals, median $266.40
- Hip X-ray cost in New Jersey — 23 hospitals, median $97.54
- Hip X-ray cost in New York — 23 hospitals, median $104.19
- Hip X-ray cost in Arizona — 22 hospitals, median $94.15
- Hip X-ray cost in Kentucky — 22 hospitals, median $294.60
- Hip X-ray cost in Missouri — 20 hospitals, median $237.90
- Hip X-ray cost in Minnesota — 19 hospitals, median $412.80
- Hip X-ray cost in Oklahoma — 18 hospitals, median $193.70
- Hip X-ray cost in Colorado — 17 hospitals, median $275.56
- Hip X-ray cost in West Virginia — 17 hospitals, median $175.50
- Hip X-ray cost in North Carolina — 15 hospitals, median $229.70
- Hip X-ray cost in Nebraska — 13 hospitals, median $114.24
- Hip X-ray cost in Oregon — 13 hospitals, median $294.75
- Hip X-ray cost in Kansas — 11 hospitals, median $982.32
- Hip X-ray cost in Mississippi — 11 hospitals, median $118.22
- Hip X-ray cost in South Carolina — 11 hospitals, median $313.80
- Hip X-ray cost in Arkansas — 10 hospitals, median $175.50
- Hip X-ray cost in Maine — 7 hospitals, median $430.50
- Hip X-ray cost in South Dakota — 7 hospitals, median $339.20
- Hip X-ray cost in Alaska — 5 hospitals, median $436.80
- Hip X-ray cost in Nevada — 4 hospitals, median $319.60
- Hip X-ray cost in North Dakota — 4 hospitals, median $248.00
- Hip X-ray cost in Wyoming — 4 hospitals, median $292.16
- Hip X-ray cost in Hawaii — 2 hospitals, median $149.12
- Hip X-ray cost in Maryland — 2 hospitals, median $142.80
- Hip X-ray cost in Montana — 2 hospitals, median $178.40
- Hip X-ray cost in New Mexico — 2 hospitals, median $262.92
- Hip X-ray cost in Louisiana — 1 hospitals, median $146.38
- Hip X-ray cost in New Hampshire — 1 hospitals, median $304.90
Hip X-ray prices at hospitals
- Hip X-ray at Banner Goldfield Medical Center, Apache Junction — $60.23
- Hip X-ray at CHI Health Nebraska Heart, Lincoln — $63.48
- Hip X-ray at CHI Health Mercy Corning, Corning — $65.28
- Hip X-ray at CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs, Council Bluffs — $65.52
- Hip X-ray at CHI Health Creighton University Medical Center - Bergan Mercy, Omaha — $65.52
- Hip X-ray at Lasting Hope Recovery Center, Omaha — $65.52
- Hip X-ray at CHI Health Immanuel, Omaha — $65.52
- Hip X-ray at CHI Health Lakeside, Omaha — $65.52
- Hip X-ray at CHI Health Midlands, Papillion — $65.52
- Hip X-ray at CHI Health Missouri Valley, Missouri Valley — $66.64
- Hip X-ray at Dickenson Community Hospital, CLINTWOOD — $67.85
- Hip X-ray at Hancock County Hospital, SNEEDVILLE — $67.85
- Hip X-ray at Lee County Community Hospital, PENNINGTON GAP — $67.85
- Hip X-ray at Johnson County Community Hospital, MOUNTAIN CITY — $67.85
- Hip X-ray at Banner Casa Grande Medical Center, Casa Grande — $68.16
- Hip X-ray at Bristol Regional Medical Center, BRISTOL — $69.30
- Hip X-ray at Franklin Woods Community Hospital, JOHNSON CITY — $69.30
- Hip X-ray at Greeneville Community Hospital, GREENEVILLE — $69.30
- Hip X-ray at Hawkins County Memorial Hospital, ROGERSVILLE — $69.30
- Hip X-ray at Holston Valley Medical Center, KINGSPORT — $69.30
See every published price for Hip X-ray: the full national range, the state and hospital breakdowns, and which hospitals charge the least.
Hip X-ray cost — see all prices →Sources
- OrthoInfo (AAOS): Hip Fractures (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
- OrthoInfo (AAOS): Osteoarthritis of the Hip (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
- Wikipedia (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)