Rib and chest X-ray cost in Boston, MA — inpatient
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 21 hospitals list a cash price for rib X-ray, one side, with a chest view, 3 or more views as an inpatient: from $165.81 to $914.00, with a median of $384.00. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center South — $218.19 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $370.80 at 34 hospitals.
Cash prices at 21 facilities across 15 cities for code 71101, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 28, 2026 and Aug 6, 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Medical Center South lowest Brockton, MA · (508) 427-3000 HC Chg Radex Ribs Uni W/Posteroant Ch Minimum 3 Views source file | $165.81 | $368.46 | $62.86–$394.86 | 55% |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Chg Radex Ribs Uni W/Posteroant Ch Minimum 3 Views source file | $184.87 | $410.82 | $62.86–$475.07 | 55% |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare one side Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC X-Ray Exam of Ribs/Chest 3+ Views Unilat source file | $245.00 | $350.00 | $80.85–$530.75 | 30% |
| Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital Bradford one side Haverhill, MA X-ray ribs/chest unilat source file | $280.20 | $280.20 | $280.20 | — |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Needham one side Needham, MA · (781) 453-3002 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $285.00 | $285.00 | — | — |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton one side Milton, MA · (617) 696-4600 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $287.00 | $287.00 | — | — |
| Tufts Medical Center one side Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC X-Ray Exam of Ribs/Chest 3+ Views Unilat source file | $296.10 | $423.00 | $111.08–$559.77 | 30% |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Chg Radex Ribs Uni W/Posteroant Ch Minimum 3 Views source file | $326.25 | $725.00 | $32.04–$616.25 | 55% |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 X-Ray Ribs Chest 3+ Vw source file | $364.00 | $520.00 | $520.00 | 30% |
| Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Brockton, MA · (508) 941-7000 XRAY; RIBS UNI W/PA CHEST (RT)+1 more line at this price File of Jan 28, 2026 · source file | $376.60 | $538.00 | — | 30% |
| Emerson Hospital one side Concord, MA · (978) 369-1400 RIGHT RIBS W/PA CXR+1 more line at this price File of May 18, 2026 · source file | $384.00 | $512.00 | $468.48 | 25% |
| Cambridge Health Alliance one side Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC Ribs, Unilat W/ Chest-3 Views source file | $390.00 | $390.00 | $45.70–$805.60 | — |
| Mount Auburn Hospital one side Cambridge, MA · (617) 492-3500 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $424.00 | $424.00 | — | — |
| PAM Health Specialty Hospital of Stoughton one side Stoughton, MA RAD Ribs Uni W/Pa Cht Rt+1 more line at this price File of Aug 6, 2026 · source file | $442.00 | $442.00 | $309.40–$375.70 | — |
| Anna Jaques Hospital one side Newburyport, MA · (978) 463-1000 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $443.00 | $443.00 | — | — |
| New England Baptist Hospital one side Boston, MA · (617) 754-5800 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $452.00 | $452.00 | — | — |
| Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington one side Burlington, MA · (781) 744-5100 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $465.00 | $465.00 | — | — |
| Winchester Hospital one side Winchester, MA · (781) 729-9000 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $466.00 | $466.00 | — | — |
| Lowell General Hospital one side Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC X-Ray Exam of Ribs/Chest 3+ Views Unilat source file | $532.00 | $760.00 | $48.28–$760.00 | 30% |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Plymouth one side Plymouth, MA · (508) 746-2000 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $597.00 | $597.00 | — | — |
| Exeter Hospital one side Exeter, NH · (603) 778-7311 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $691.00 | $691.00 | — | — |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center one side Boston, MA · (617) 667-7000 HC X RAY RIB UNILAT W POSTEROANT CH MIN 3 VIEWS File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $914.00 | $914.00 | — | — |
Inpatient: lowest $165.81, median $384.00, highest $914.00 — a 5.5× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 26 facilities here, median $433.50 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 8 of 10 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 2 it is 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
This study takes pictures of the ribs on one side plus a front view of the chest. The chest view checks the lungs for a collapsed lung or bleeding after a rib injury.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers taking the X-ray. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.