Chest X-ray, 1 view cost in Boston, MA — inpatient
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 7 hospitals list a cash price for chest X-ray, single view as an inpatient: from $101.03 to $625.00, with a median of $186.30. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center South — $85.27 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $249.95 at 17 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 5 cities for code 71045, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Medical Center South lowest Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC Chg Radiologic Exam Chest Single View | $101.03 | $224.51 | $59.40–$394.86 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Chg Radiologic Exam Chest Single View | $112.64 | $250.32 | $59.40–$475.07 | 55% | — source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC X-Ray Exam Chest 1 View | $177.80 | $254.00 | $44.45–$530.75 | 30% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Chg Radiologic Exam Chest Single View | $186.30 | $414.00 | $71.24–$512.54 | 55% | — source file |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC X-Ray Exam Chest 1 View | $282.80 | $404.00 | $53.05–$437.52 | 30% | — source file |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC X-Ray Exam Chest 1 View | $338.80 | $484.00 | $12.45–$484.00 | 30% | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC Chest (Single View) Portable | $625.00 | $625.00 | $71.24–$625.00 | — | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $101.03, median $186.30, highest $625.00 — a 6.2× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $234.55 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 6 of 7 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
A single-view chest X-ray takes one picture of the chest, usually from the front, to show the lungs and heart. It is often done in the emergency room or at the bedside with a portable machine, for example to check a breathing tube or follow up pneumonia.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers taking the X-ray. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.