Rib X-ray cost in Santa Cruz, CA
In Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for rib X-ray, one side, 2 views: from $803.00 to $1,250.25, with a median of $1,026.63. The lowest listed price is at Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center of Santa Cruz — $223.63 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $462.80 at 179 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 71100, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 15, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center of Santa Cruz one side lowest Santa Cruz, CA · (831) 477-2200 HCHG XR RIBS UNI 2V LT | $803.00 | $803.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center of Santa Cruz one side lowest Santa Cruz, CA · (831) 477-2200 HCHG XR RIBS UNI 2V RT | $803.00 | $803.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Watsonville Community Hospital one side Watsonville, CA · (831) 724-4741 CH-RT RIBS UNILAT CR | $1,250.25 | $2,083.75 | $35.48–$4,167.50 | 40% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
| Watsonville Community Hospital one side Watsonville, CA · (831) 724-4741 CH-LT RIBS UNILAT CR | $1,250.25 | $2,083.75 | $35.48–$4,167.50 | 40% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
| Watsonville Community Hospital Watsonville, CA · (831) 724-4741 X-RAY EXAM RIBS UNI 2 VIEWS | $1,250.25 | $2,083.75 | $35.48–$4,167.50 | 40% | Sep 15, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $803.00, median $1,026.63, highest $1,250.25 — a 1.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $1,026.63. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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 rib X-ray takes two pictures of the ribs on one side of the chest. It is used after a fall or blow to the chest when a rib fracture is suspected.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers taking the X-ray. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.