CPT code 71046

What does CPT code 71046 mean on a medical bill?

This is a chest x-ray taken from two angles instead of one, usually front and side. The number of views is what picks the code, so this line is a claim that two pictures were taken. The radiology report always states how many views there were. If the report describes one picture and the bill says two, that is a plain question for the billing office, and the kind of thing that gets corrected once you point at the report.

What does CPT code 71046 usually cost?

The view count is what separates this line from the single-view code at the same hospital, so the report is the document that settles it. As with any x-ray, the picture and the reading are billed as two separate charges.

What should I watch out for with CPT code 71046?

• Two views billed when the report describes a single view
• Both the one-view and the two-view codes billed for the same trip to the x-ray room
• A reading charge from a radiologist you never met that arrives out of network after an emergency visit