Rib and chest X-ray cost in Buffalo, NY
In Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, 8 hospitals list a cash price for rib X-ray, one side, with a chest view, 3 or more views: from $79.78 to $296.00, with a median of $252.21. The lowest listed price is at Erie County Medical Center — $172.43 less than the median here. Across New York, the median is $215.72 at 112 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 4 cities for code 71101, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie County Medical Center one side lowest Buffalo, NY · (716) 898-3936 X-RAY EXAM UNILAT RIBS/CHEST File of Aug 25, 2026 · source file | $79.78 | — | $42.29–$326.25 | — |
| Bertrand Chaffee Hospital one side Springville, NY · (716) 592-2871 RIBS RT PA CHEST XRY File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $131.75 | $155.00 | $10.61–$367.22 | 15% |
| Bertrand Chaffee Hospital one side Springville, NY · (716) 592-2871 RIBS LEFT PA CHEST XRAY+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $146.38 | $172.22 | $10.61–$367.22 | 15% |
| Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center Niagara Falls, NY · (716) 278-4000 X-RAY OF RIBS ON SIDE OF BODY; MINIMUM OF 3 VIEWS source file | $165.96 | $237.09 | $27.47–$133.76 | 30% |
| Roswell Park Cancer Institute one side Buffalo, NY Ribs, Unilateral Incl Pa Chest File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $209.41 | $209.41 | — | — |
| Kaleida Health one side Buffalo, NY · (716) 859-8620 Ribs Uni+Pachst Min 3V Rt+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $295.00 | $295.00 | — | — |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo one side Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 HC X-Ray Ribs, Chest 3+ Vw - Xr Ribs 2 Vws Rt W/ Chest Anteroposterior+1 more line at this price source file | $296.00 | $296.00 | $8.63–$296.00 | — |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital one side Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 HC X-Ray Ribs, Chest 3+ Vw - Xr Ribs 2 Vws Lt W/ Chest Anteroposterior+1 more line at this price source file | $296.00 | $296.00 | $8.63–$296.00 | — |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital one side Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 HC X-Ray Ribs, Chest 3+ Vw - Xr Ribs 2 Vws Rt W/ Chest Anteroposterior+1 more line at this price source file | $296.00 | $296.00 | $8.63–$296.00 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $79.78, median $252.21, highest $296.00 — a 3.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $295.50. 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 2 of 6 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
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.
2 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 71101 ($299.97). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Hospital | Cash price | File |
|---|---|---|
| Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Springville, NYRIBS LT PA | $17.00 | file |
| Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Springville, NYRIBS RT PA CHEST | $17.00 | file |