How Much Does A Chest X Ray Cost

Chest X-ray, is probably the most common routine test that a general checkup requires. Not only that,  chest x-ray could also be a separate request, apart from the general one, for people who have complaints regarding their health that involves their backs and their lungs.

The results coming from chest X-rays can be used to determine other problems a person may have in his lungs, or from why he is having shortness of breath. It could also be used to diagnose lung sickness like cancer or pneumonia. So, the question goes, how much does a chest x-ray cost? This article will discuss more about X-ray the benefits, the risk, and other important notes.

X-ray Procedure Prices

For a patient who has a health insurance, the out of pocket price of chest x-ray cost is almost $0, if the coverage of the X-rays is in full. If it’s a co-pay of around $10 to $50 dollars, there will just be a discount of around 10% – 50% for the chest x-ray cost as well.

But let’s state the average chest x-ray cost without insurance first. This will help us better know the real price of chest x-ray test, and perhaps once we already know, then you can calculate on your own for how much it would really cost with insurance, depending on the coverage of your plan.

So, here it is: The typical price of chest x-ray is in between $200 – $400 dollars. It could also be more. The average cost however is $370. There are also x-ray packages with the cost that depends on the provider and the number of views taken. Some diagnostic centers or hospitals would cover a simple chest x-ray with 2 views for a price of $200 dollars. Other hospitals have variations in their pricing, example is the pricing at Berger Health System, in Ohio. They charge $203 dollars for a one chest view x-ray and $250 dollars for a two view one. A hospital in Nebraska would charge $207 on one frontal x-ray view, and $295 for two, (frontal and lateral), while in New Hampshire, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center charges $290 for a two views of x-ray after the discount without the insurance.

How To Get The Service

First off, a doctor’s request is needed before you can be able to have the x-ray test. The doctors are also the ones who will refer you to a hospital or imaging center that can perform the test for you. You can ask help from your doctor to know how much does a chest x-ray cost. Once you are ok with the price of chest x-ray, the examination will then be performed. The radiologist who will conduct your imaging should be board certified by the American Board of Radiology. He or she will interpret the x-ray result, which will then be forwarded to your doctor. Women patients who could be pregnant will need to discuss it with her doctor, if she is considering an x-ray. RadiologyInfo.org is a helpful website where you can get more information regarding x-rays, radiation and pregnancy.

The Risk

After asking how much does a chest x-ray cost, the patients next question should be, what are the risk involved when having an x-ray examination? This is not very difficult to answer as it only consist of two things. One, is that during an x-ray procedure, both the patient and the technician are very much exposed to radiation. Another one is the high possibility of damage to fetus, if the person who underwent an x-ray test is pregnant.

Before doctors would recommend an x-ray test to their women patients, they would usually ask first if they could be possibly pregnant. If he doesn’t then she should inform him. This is a protocol, especially if the patient is married or has a partner. Even if the patient would say no, the doctors would usually ask for a pregnancy test to be done first before giving a go for the patient to have an X-ray test. If the patient is pregnant, obviously, it’s a no go.

Discounts For Non-Insurance Holders

For non-insured or self-paying individuals who are required by their doctors to take an x-ray test. You can go check out the website Newchoicehealth.com. From the website, you will be able to find out the pricing and discounts available for the medical test that you need. All you will need to do when you log in is to type the kind of medical test that you need and type your Zip code, and the nearest locations of hospitals will auto populate with all the chest x-ray cost on their page.

Patients with a gross family income of less than $125,000 are eligible for discounts. Many hospitals and diagnostic centers offer discounts to their cash paying patients with of up to 30% off. Some offers are up to 40% off for other necessary medical services, that includes x-ray.

Preparation And Procedure

Unlike any other test that will require fasting or collecting bodily waste as specimen, chest x-rays does not need any special preparations prior to the exam. After knowing the chest x-ray cost, you can make your payment and be examined.

It only takes a few minutes of your time to be in the radiology room. You may be asked to remove some or all of your clothes and change into a lab gown during the exam. Other human accessories like bracelet and other jewelries, eye glasses, and removable dental objects and other metals in the clothing should also be removed, as it may interfere with the x-ray images. Then, you will be asked to position yourself standing in front of the metal plate. Patients who cannot stand will be positioned on an imaging table on top of the metal plate.  This will be a temporary discomfort but it will not last very long.

After taking all the images needed. You can change back into your regular clothing from the lab gown you are in, and then wait for the radiologist to determine whether they were able to take all the necessary images. The overall procedure may only last for about 15 – 20 minutes at most. Your doctor will let you know should he require you to get more image views only when necessary, then you can worry once again about another chest x-ray cost.