Diagnostic radiology · South Carolina

Diagnostic radiology commercial reimbursement in South Carolina

How South Carolina diagnostic radiology rates compare with the national market.

Diagnostic radiology in South Carolina

49 codes · 115 sampled providers
Index vs national
96
4% below
Rank among states
31 of 51
1 = highest
Codes above national
15 of 49
median code at 96%
Providers
115
sampled

What the data shows

1

Diagnostic radiology ranks 31st of 51 states in South Carolina with an index of 96 (100 = the specialty's national median), across 49 codes and 115 sampled providers.

2

Of the 49 diagnostic radiology codes with enough data in South Carolina, 15 pay above the national median and 34 below; the typical code sits at 96% of the national median.

3

Largest premium over the national median: CPT 70450 (Ct head/brain w/o dye) at 118%; largest discount: CPT 70498 (Ct angiography neck) at 88%.

4

Measured against Medicare, South Carolina diagnostic radiology rates have a median of 147% of the Medicare rate across these codes.

Codes above and below the national median

The five largest gaps in each direction

Highest vs national

CodeSouth CaroNationalGapProv.
70450
Ct head/brain w/o dye
$230$194+18%113
71271
Ct thorax lung cancer scr c-
$243$208+17%113
72131
Ct lumbar spine w/o dye
$275$248+11%113
99215
Office o/p est hi 40 min
$201$182+11%110
72125
Ct neck spine w/o dye
$275$249+10%113

Lowest vs national

CodeSouth CaroNationalGapProv.
70498
Ct angiography neck
$403$459-12%113
70496
Ct angiography head
$404$457-12%113
70553
Mri brain stem w/o & w/dye
$533$600-11%113
71275
Ct angiography chest
$411$462-11%113
77080
Dxa bone density axial
$60$66-10%111

All diagnostic radiology codes in South Carolina

Median across payers vs the specialty's national median and the Medicare rate; sorted by premium
CodeSouth CaroliNationalGap% of MedicareProvidersTINsLevel
CPT 70450
Ct head/brain w/o dye
$230$194+18%216%113288
CPT 71271
Ct thorax lung cancer scr c-
$243$208+17%178%113285
CPT 72131
Ct lumbar spine w/o dye
$275$248+11%212%113284
CPT 99215
Office o/p est hi 40 min
$201$182+11%104%110318
CPT 72125
Ct neck spine w/o dye
$275$249+11%211%113283
CPT 71250
Ct thorax dx c-
$275$250+10%207%113285
CPT 99203
Office o/p new low 30 min
$131$121+9%111%110321
CPT 99205
Office o/p new hi 60 min
$262$244+7%111%110317
CPT 99214
Office o/p est mod 30 min
$137$128+7%101%111319
CPT 20610
Drain/inj joint/bursa w/o us
$87$83+5%127%112326
CPT 99204
Office o/p new mod 45 min
$196$187+5%110%110320
CPT 99213
Office o/p est low 20 min
$91$88+3%95%110321
CPT 73502
X-ray exam hip uni 2-3 views
$62$61+2%128%113285
CPT 99212
Office o/p est sf 10 min
$51$50+1%85%110320
CPT 71046
X-ray exam chest 2 views
$45$45+1%137%112284
CPT 77067
Scr mammo bi incl cad
$181$182-1%143%111286
CPT 77066
Dx mammo incl cad bi
$223$225-1%142%111291
CPT 76641
Ultrasound breast complete
$143$145-1%143%111282
CPT 76642
Ultrasound breast limited
$119$120-1%142%111282
CPT 76700
Us exam abdom complete
$164$168-2%143%113288
CPT 77065
Dx mammo incl cad uni
$174$179-3%140%111281
CPT 76770
Us exam abdo back wall comp
$154$158-3%145%113288
CPT 74177
Ct abd & pelvis w/contrast
$434$448-3%145%113285
CPT 76705
Echo exam of abdomen
$121$126-4%141%113291
CPT 74178
Ct abd&plv wo cntr flwd cntr
$500$520-4%148%113281
CPT 93000
Electrocardiogram complete
$24$25-4%156%109278
CPT 74176
Ct abd & pelvis w/o contrast
$275$287-4%150%113284
CPT 93970
Extremity study
$257$270-5%140%113296
CPT 71045
X-ray exam chest 1 view
$31$33-5%123%112283
CPT 37243
Vasc embolize/occlude organ
$813$858-5%168%109288
CPT 93971
Extremity study
$163$172-5%140%113296
CPT 72148
Mri lumbar spine w/o dye
$370$392-5%193%113289
CPT 93880
Extracranial bilat study
$261$277-6%138%113290
CPT 72141
Mri neck spine w/o dye
$365$390-6%192%113288
CPT 70551
Mri brain stem w/o dye
$375$402-7%192%113288
CPT 72197
Mri pelvis w/o & w/dye
$587$634-7%176%113286
CPT 74183
Mri abd w/o cntr flwd cntr
$587$634-7%175%113288
CPT 74174
Cta abd&plvs w/contrast
$556$601-7%147%113278
CPT 72158
Mri lumbar spine w/o & w/dye
$548$593-8%172%113285
CPT 73721
Mri jnt of lwr extre w/o dye
$375$407-8%183%113288
CPT 73221
Mri joint upr extrem w/o dye
$375$407-8%183%113288
CPT 77049
Mri breast c-+ w/cad bi
$506$558-9%149%111289
CPT 71260
Ct thorax dx c+
$283$312-9%170%113286
CPT 76536
Us exam of head and neck
$140$154-9%129%113291
CPT 77080
Dxa bone density axial
$60$66-10%152%111280
CPT 71275
Ct angiography chest
$411$462-11%147%113286
CPT 70553
Mri brain stem w/o & w/dye
$533$600-11%168%113287
CPT 70496
Ct angiography head
$404$457-12%147%113284
CPT 70498
Ct angiography neck
$403$459-12%147%113284

Frequently asked questions

How do South Carolina diagnostic radiology rates compare with the rest of the country?

South Carolina ranks 31st of 51 states with an index of 96; 15 of 49 codes are above the national median.

Which diagnostic radiology code has the biggest premium in South Carolina?

CPT 70450 (Ct head/brain w/o dye), at 118% of the national median.

Are these Medicare or commercial rates?

Commercial in-network negotiated rates from four national payers' published files; the Medicare comparison column uses the CY2026 Medicare physician fee schedule.

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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