X-ray, chest (single view) cost in NE
What a x-ray, chest (single view) costs at NE hospitals — and the fair price to aim for.
Typical commercial prices here are +29% above the fair benchmark (1.29×) even after accounting for local nurse/doctor wages and patient complexity.
Balances commercial hospital prices against CMS clinical safety, infection control, and patient experience.
Uniform Value Leader
St Francis Memorial Hospital maintains disciplined commercial pricing across both elective shoppable care (0.6× Medicare) and captive emergency/ancillary departments (0.4× Medicare). Patients and health plans benefit from predictable, below-benchmark rates (0.61× Fair BaseRate) without hidden ancillary cross-subsidization.
Where They're Good (Patient & Payer Edge)
- Elective shoppable care is priced 39% below peer Fair BaseRate (0.61×)
- Self-pay cash beats commercial insurance on 5% of shoppable procedures (25/100 Cash Honesty)
- 2-Star CMS clinical rating with 80% patient recommendation (68/100 safety score)
- IRS 501(c)(3) charity care provides free care up to 200% FPL and discounted care up to 400% FPL (39.0% AGB cap)
Where You Can Get Burned (Markup Traps)
- Even at low-cost facilities (1.29× Fair BaseRate), out-of-network or unnegotiated chargemaster bills can exceed commercial medians — confirm in-network status or request a self-pay cash quote up front.
- Commercial insurance median sits at 0.54× Fair BaseRate (0.6× Medicare), so insured patients should always compare the self-pay cash price before paying.
- Upper-quartile procedures (Q75 0.86×) jump +59% above the median procedure ratio (Q50 0.54×)
- Unnegotiated chargemaster list prices average 12.1× Medicare (16¢ true HCRIS cost per $1 gross)
Pre-scheduled outpatient procedures where patients can comparison-shop.
Emergency, inpatient DRG, lab, and specialty drug lines billed after admission.
Detects median-gaming when upper-quartile codes spike above the p50 median.
In general, NE hospitals charge about the fair price for this. how we calculate the BaseRate →
Compared with the rest of the country, NE’s fair BaseRate ($113) is above the national fair price of $92.
Cheapest NE hospitals for a x-ray, chest (single view)
- St Francis Memorial Hospital · West Point $18
- Fillmore County Hospital · Geneva $23
- Howard County Medical Center · St Paul $24
- Valley County Health System · Ord $24
- Regional West Medical Center · Scottsbluff $25
- West Holt Memorial Hospital · Atkinson $29
- Community Hospital · McCook $46
- CHI Health St. Marys · Nebraska City $58
- CHI Health Schuyler · Schuyler $59
- Bellevue Medical Center · Bellevue $80
- The Nebraska Medical Center · Omaha $83
- Nebraska Orthopaedic Hospital · Omaha $86
- CHI Health St. Francis · Grand Island $89
- Lincoln Surgical Hospital · Lincoln $89
- CHI Health Nebraska Heart · Lincoln $89
Audit a Bill or Quote at NE Hospital Benchmark (Zero PHI Required)
Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $104
At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (36.3% of gross = $104).
Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible
Ask NE Hospital Benchmark's billing desk for their written 45 CFR § 180 discounted self-pay cash price and Good Faith Estimate under the No Surprises Act.
Negotiate Toward $113 Fair BaseRate ($66 Medicare)
Your bill ($286) is $173 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($113) and 4.3× the $66 Medicare rate.