CPT code 71045

What does CPT code 71045 mean on a medical bill?

This is the charge for a chest x-ray taken from one angle: the quick picture of your lungs and heart ordered when someone is short of breath, coughing, or hurt in the chest. The picture and the radiologist's reading are two different halves, and hospitals usually bill the picture while a radiology group bills the reading. The number of views billed should match what the radiology report says was taken.

What does CPT code 71045 usually cost?

Expect two charges for one x-ray: the hospital for the equipment and technologist, the radiologist for reading it. A portable x-ray taken at your bedside is sometimes billed with an extra line for bringing the machine to you.

What should I watch out for with CPT code 71045?

• More views billed than the radiology report describes
• The same x-ray billed once as a technical charge and again under an all-in-one code
• A repeat film billed when the record shows one picture that was simply re-read by a second doctor