CPT 71046
Chest x-ray, two views
CPT 71046 identifies a chest X-ray with two views. Compare the number of views in the imaging report with the bill. The facility and the clinician interpreting the images may send separate statements.
Billed to Medicare
$55
What providers submitted, on average, for this code in a hospital setting.
Medicare accepted
$10
What Medicare treated as payable. Not a commercial rate or a cash price.
The gap
5.4x
How many times the accepted amount the billed figure was.
National averages from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2024 data, retrieved 2026-09-14. Medicare fee-for-service, physician and practitioner claims only. The hospital's own charge for the same code is separate and is usually higher. Based on 3,463,842 services.
Among the 8 imaging codes on this site with CMS figures, this gap ranks 7 of 8 (median 5.5x). The widest is CT scan of the head, without contrast at 6x.
Where this line goes wrong
Check the number of views
Ask for the imaging report and confirm how many views it documents. If the report and code disagree, request a coding review.
Ask about repeat images
If multiple X-ray charges appear, ask whether they represent different examinations, separate components or repeated images. The reason and applicable billing rules matter; a repeat is not automatically an error.
Want to know if this line is right on your own bill? Upload it to a free mediloop account. An automatic first look reads the charges and shows what looks worth questioning, usually in about a minute.
Check my bill for freeCheck it, then ask
- 1
Ask for the itemized bill and the imaging report, and check that each billed study has a report.
- 2
Check the two halves match: the facility line and the radiologist's line should carry the same code for the same date.
- 3
If the radiologist was out of network for an emergency visit or at an in-network facility, the No Surprises Act limits what you can be billed.
- 4
If you are self-pay, ask for the hospital's published cash price for the scan; it is usually a fraction of the list price.
The full walkthrough for this kind of bill: You got an ER bill.
Upload the bill to a free mediloop account. An automatic first look reads the charges and shows what looks worth questioning, usually in about a minute. If you want a specialist to dispute it for you, it is a flat $129, refunded in full if the bill isn't lowered by at least $129.
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Codes that travel with this one
People also ask
Why does a chest x-ray cost so much at the hospital?
The hospital's list price is set from its chargemaster and bears little relation to cost. The Medicare figures on this page and the hospital's own published cash price are both far lower, and both are useful reference points when questioning the bill.
Sources
This page explains a billing code in general terms. It is not a coding, legal or medical opinion about your bill, and the code descriptions are mediloop's own plain-English summaries, not the official CPT descriptors, which are owned by the American Medical Association. Whether a charge was correct depends on the record of your visit and your payer's rules.