Where Do Hospital Post Their Prices? Pt 2: The Cost of an X-Ray

When I was 11, I sprained my ankle. My mom took me to the doctor, who then recommended an x-ray. I don’t remember what it cost, but I know we didn’t have the ability to get an estimate beforehand – all of our guesses about cost were based on our friends’ and family’s past experience in getting the procedure. Today, I know that if I needed any major non-emergency procedure done at a hospital, I would certainly want to compare my options. Thanks to a new price transparency rule explained in part 1 of this series, I can do that.

I looked at twelve Oregon hospitals’ listings for a single view chest x-ray (CPT code 71045) to compare their prices. I expected a little variation based on geography, but what I found was very little rhyme or reason to the prices listed. Below you can find the estimated price (what the hospital lists for the treatment, including room fees, charges for medical supplies, etc.), the cash price (what patients pay without insurance), and the price range for insured patients (which only a few hospitals provided, but indicates the vast differences between different insurance carriers’ negotiated prices).

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*The main hospitals in the Bend area all belong to St. Charles and share both a webpage and prices. These numbers also apply to St. Charles Madras and St. Charles Prineville and are used for the averages.
**Prices estimated on 3/11/2022

I was shocked at the variation in pricing. There doesn’t appear to be a rhyme or reason to the actual cost each hospital lists. Geography doesn’t appear to matter, as Samaritan in Newport lists the full price of the procedure as $245, while the Bay Area Hospital, another coastal hospital, lists it as $179. Similarly, Providence Portland is nearly the same as the Bay Area at $158.

Based on the information available from these hospitals, I could pay anywhere from $80 to $650 for a single chest x-ray depending on the hospital and my insurance. In some cases, the cash price is less expensive than the cost with insurance at the same hospital. The bottom line on my bill shouldn’t be so drastically different, and my insurance shouldn’t be more expensive than insurance, but it appears to be the case in some instances. Consumers should do their best to shop around for these price comparisons when the difference to our wallets is so great.

The price transparency rule is a good first step to getting consumers information that hospitals have kept hidden. In order to increase transparency and our ability to investigate consumer costs, we must ensure compliance with these requirements to post prices in clear, understandable ways (as I will explore in the next part of this series) so we can understand and lower health care costs for Oregonians.

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Maribeth Guarino

High Value Health Care, Advocate, PIRG

Maribeth educates lawmakers and the public about problems in health care and pushes for workable solutions. When she's not researching or lobbying, Maribeth likes to read, play games, and paint.

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