CPT 71046 · professional fee

X-ray exam chest 2 views (CPT 71046): negotiated rates by payer and state

What UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Shield pay for CPT 71046, from their published in-network rate files.

Diagnostic radiologySnapshot Aug 2026Professional fee only

National summary

Commercial in-network, four payers combined, professional fee

Median rate

$45

P10 to P90: $28 to $84

vs Medicare

136%

non-facility rate $33.07

Payer spread

1.38×

UHC $50 vs Aetna $36

State spread

2.8×

AK $80 to OK $29

5,782 sampled providers7,097 TINs51 statesSample-based · how this is calculated

What the data shows

Generated from this code's own numbers

UnitedHealthcare has the highest median for CPT 71046 in the files analyzed, at $50, 38% above Aetna ($36), the lowest of the 4 payers shown.

The state spread is 2.8×: Alaska has the highest median at $80 and Oklahoma the lowest at $29, a gap larger than the gap between the highest and lowest payer.

Commercial rates run 136% of the Medicare non-facility rate ($33.07), which ranks 146th of 228 tracked codes by commercial-to-Medicare ratio.

Rates are tightest within Aetna (interquartile range $20) and widest within UnitedHealthcare ($32).

This is a top-14 code for diagnostic radiology by Medicare allowed dollars, so it carries real revenue weight for that specialty.

Rates by payer

Median of per-provider median rates, with interquartile range

Payer	Median	P25	P75	vs national	Rank	Providers	Position
UnitedHealthcare	$50	$37	$69	+11%	1	3,939	151% of Medicare
Cigna	$48	$37	$67	+7%	2	4,545	146% of Medicare
Blue Cross Blue Shield	$46	$33	$59	+2%	3	4,522	139% of Medicare
Aetna	$36	$31	$51	-20%	4	3,843	109% of Medicare

Rate distribution

Box = P25 to P75, whiskers = P10 to P90, tick = median, dashed line = Medicare non-facility ($33.07)

Rates by state

Median across payers · 51 states with enough data

Rank	State	Median	vs national	Highest payer	Lowest payer	Providers
1	Alaska	$80	+77%	Aetna	Cigna	61
2	Washington	$69	+53%	UHC	Aetna	117
3	Wisconsin	$66	+47%	UHC	Cigna	123
4	Wyoming	$65	+44%	BCBS	Aetna	41
5	South Dakota	$61	+36%	Cigna	Aetna	85
6	Nebraska	$61	+35%	Cigna	Aetna	120
7	Iowa	$58	+29%	Cigna	Aetna	100
8	Oregon	$58	+28%	UHC	BCBS	107
9	North Dakota	$57	+27%	BCBS	Aetna	86
10	North Carolina	$55	+22%	Cigna	Aetna	120
11	Colorado	$53	+18%	UHC	Aetna	124
12	Idaho	$52	+16%	BCBS	UHC	124
13	Ohio	$52	+15%	UHC	Cigna	128
14	Montana	$51	+12%	Aetna	UHC	69
15	Hawaii	$49	+8%	UHC	Aetna	106
16	West Virginia	$48	+7%	UHC	BCBS	117
17	Georgia	$48	+7%	UHC	Aetna	124
18	Michigan	$48	+7%	Cigna	UHC	117
19	Connecticut	$48	+6%	UHC	Aetna	124
20	New Hampshire	$48	+6%	UHC	Aetna	127
20	Maine	$48	+6%	BCBS	Aetna	127
22	Missouri	$47	+4%	UHC	Aetna	123
23	Massachusetts	$47	+4%	UHC	Aetna	118
24	South Carolina	$45	+1%	Cigna	Aetna	112
25	Tennessee	$45	-1%	UHC	Aetna	127
26	Vermont	$44	-2%	UHC	Aetna	63
27	Virginia	$44	-3%	UHC	Aetna	120
28	Mississippi	$43	-5%	BCBS	Cigna	112
29	California	$43	-5%	UHC	Aetna	107
30	Rhode Island	$42	-6%	Cigna	Aetna	127
31	Pennsylvania	$42	-7%	UHC	Aetna	120
32	Minnesota	$42	-8%	BCBS	Aetna	123
33	New Jersey	$41	-8%	UHC	Aetna	125
34	Utah	$41	-9%	BCBS	Aetna	122
34	Kansas	$41	-9%	Cigna	UHC	116
36	Louisiana	$41	-10%	Cigna	BCBS	120
37	Arkansas	$41	-10%	UHC	BCBS	116
38	Alabama	$40	-11%	BCBS	Cigna	126
39	Nevada	$40	-12%	UHC	Cigna	122
39	District of Columbia	$40	-12%	UHC	BCBS	131
41	Delaware	$40	-12%	UHC	Aetna	98
42	Florida	$39	-13%	Cigna	Aetna	106
43	Arizona	$38	-15%	BCBS	Aetna	108
44	Illinois	$38	-17%	UHC	BCBS	124
44	Indiana	$38	-17%	UHC	Aetna	135
46	New Mexico	$37	-18%	UHC	BCBS	123
47	Maryland	$36	-19%	UHC	BCBS	106
48	Kentucky	$35	-22%	Cigna	BCBS	134
49	New York	$34	-24%	UHC	Aetna	128
50	Texas	$33	-28%	Cigna	BCBS	133
51	Oklahoma	$29	-36%	UHC	BCBS	110

Frequently asked questions

Answers use this page's data

Which payer has the highest median rate for CPT 71046?

In the files we analyzed, UnitedHealthcare, at a median of $50 across 3,939 sampled providers. Aetna is lowest at $36, 38% lower than the highest.

How does the commercial rate compare with Medicare?

The national median is 136% of the 2026 Medicare non-facility rate of $33.07.

Which state has the highest median for CPT 71046?

Alaska has the highest median at $80; Oklahoma has the lowest at $29.

Is this a professional fee?

These are professional (physician) fees only. Facility, device and implant payments are priced separately and are not included.

How current is this data?

It is the August 2026 snapshot of each payer's in-network rate file. Sources and filters are listed in the methodology below.

Methodology

How these numbers are calculated

Source: in-network negotiated-rate files published under the federal Transparency in Coverage rule, August 2026 snapshot: UnitedHealthcare Choice plans (74 files); Aetna commercial plans (70 files); Cigna national PPO (1 files); BCBS licensees' own-network files (5,387 files). Payer comparisons describe these files, not each payer's entire book of business.
Sample: rates come from a random sample of up to 150 providers per state and specialty. Counts on this page are sampled providers and TINs, not totals.
Which providers count: only providers in a specialty relevant to the code, because a rate in a payer file attaches to a provider group and is listed under every provider in that group.
Filters: fee-for-service, professional billing class, no modifier, negotiated or fee-schedule dollar rates. Rates outside 1% to 1,000% of the Medicare rate are excluded.
Statistic: one median rate per provider, then percentiles across providers. A cell is shown only with at least 15 sampled providers and 4 TINs.
Medicare benchmark: CY2026 national physician fee schedule, non-QPP conversion factor, unadjusted for locality. Where the non-facility rate is more than twice the facility rate (office rates that include device or supply cost), the facility rate is used so comparisons are like for like.

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