Temporary Codes · Q0092

Set-Up Portable X-Ray Equipment

What Medicare pays for Q0092, what providers bill, and how the price varies across 45 states, drawn from CMS 2023 claims data.

Q0092 · the short answer

For set-up portable x-ray equipment, Medicare pays about $18.96 while providers bill $49.79 on average, a 2.6× markup, one of the smaller markups in the catalog. State-level Medicare rates range 46% from lowest to highest.

Medicare pays
$18.96
Providers bill
$49.79
Markup
2.6×
Markup percentile
9th

Medicare amounts are CMS-published; markup = average submitted charge ÷ average Medicare payment.

Medicare Payment (avg)
$18.96
What Medicare actually pays
Billed Charge (avg)
$49.79
What providers submit
Markup
2.6x
163% above Medicare rate
1.3M
Total Services
621.1K
Beneficiaries
376
Providers
45
States with Data

Price Range Across States

Lowest State Avg
$15.46
Nebraska
Highest State Avg
$22.61
New York

What You Might Pay

Est. Commercial Insurance
$55.32
Range: $38.72 – $77.45
Est. Cash / Self-Pay
$32.22
Typical self-pay discount

Estimated using RAND 2024 commercial-to-Medicare ratios. Actual prices vary by insurer, plan, and facility.

How we estimate these prices

These estimates are based on the RAND Hospital Price Transparency Study (4th Edition, 2024), which found that commercial insurance prices average 224% of Medicare rates nationally. We apply category-specific ratios: Temporary Codes procedures average 2.24x Medicare rates. Cash/self-pay estimates blend typical cash discounts (55% of billed charges) with Medicare-based estimates (150% of allowed amounts). These are statistical estimates, not quotes. Contact your insurer or provider for actual costs.

Where this markup sits nationally

Markup (billed ÷ Medicare) across 8,901 procedures with a meaningful Medicare rate

3 more affordable than 9% of 8,901 procedures

1–2: 466 procedures (5%). Below this entry. 2–3: 681 procedures (8%). This entry sits in this band. 3–4: 845 procedures (9%). Above this entry. 4–5: 1,308 procedures (15%). Above this entry. 5–6: 1,725 procedures (19%). Above this entry. 6–7: 1,217 procedures (14%). Above this entry. 7–8: 801 procedures (9%). Above this entry. 8–9: 541 procedures (6%). Above this entry. 9–10: 351 procedures (4%). Above this entry. 10–11: 246 procedures (3%). Above this entry. 11–12: 151 procedures (2%). Above this entry. 12–13: 175 procedures (2%). Above this entry. 13–14: 140 procedures (2%). Above this entry. 14–15: 40 procedures (0%). Above this entry. 15–16: 39 procedures (0%). Above this entry. 16–17: 26 procedures (0%). Above this entry. 17–18: 25 procedures (0%). Above this entry. 18–19: 21 procedures (0%). Above this entry. 19–20: 12 procedures (0%). Above this entry. 20–21: 16 procedures (0%). Above this entry. 21–22: 13 procedures (0%). Above this entry. 22–23: 8 procedures (0%). Above this entry. 23–24: 9 procedures (0%). Above this entry. 24–25: 4 procedures (0%). Above this entry. 25–26: 3 procedures (0%). Above this entry. 26–27: 3 procedures (0%). Above this entry. 27–28: 4 procedures (0%). Above this entry. 28–29: 3 procedures (0%). Above this entry. 29–30: 2 procedures (0%). Above this entry. 30–31: 26 procedures (0%). Above this entry. this procedure 1 31 × markup, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more procedures. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source CMS Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners · 2023

Prices by State

State Medicare Payment Billed Charge
New York $22.61 $51.02
New Jersey $22.46 $60.89
California $22.20 $53.84
Connecticut $21.65 $53.91
Massachusetts $20.48 $53.79
Rhode Island $20.31 $52.18
Hawaii $20.29 $59.00
Illinois $20.27 $51.72
Oregon $19.44 $39.95
Colorado $19.44 $53.99
Ohio $19.43 $47.42
Delaware $19.39 $43.14
Washington $19.32 $63.98
Georgia $19.31 $75.23
Florida $18.96 $40.64
Minnesota $18.40 $43.98
North Dakota $18.37 $44.10
Michigan $18.28 $56.82
Nevada $18.28 $58.15
Arizona $18.28 $54.72
Virginia $18.25 $37.99
Texas $18.24 $42.31
Montana $18.11 $70.27
Pennsylvania $17.96 $40.02
Maryland $17.92 $59.56
Indiana $17.70 $32.26
South Dakota $17.60 $44.09
Tennessee $17.54 $75.56
Iowa $17.32 $29.95
Wisconsin $17.27 $30.57
Kansas $17.14 $29.53
North Carolina $17.14 $37.75
Maine $17.09 $81.40
Missouri $16.89 $30.61
Alabama $16.89 $42.46
Louisiana $16.86 $40.97
West Virginia $16.77 $29.51
Utah $16.58 $44.36
Idaho $16.39 $50.36
Oklahoma $16.05 $30.87
Kentucky $15.96 $31.16
Arkansas $15.93 $25.72
New Mexico $15.52 $28.34
Mississippi $15.52 $47.40
Nebraska $15.46 $40.18

What the Data Says About Set-Up Portable X-Ray Equipment

Across 45 states with reporting providers, CPT code Q0092 (Set-Up Portable X-Ray Equipment) shows a national average Medicare payment of $18.96 against an average billed charge of $49.79. That gap, a 2.6x markup, or 163% above the Medicare allowed amount, is among the tightest billed-to-paid spreads we track, this code's chargemaster rate tracks unusually close to the Medicare benchmark.

Temporary Codes procedures like this one saw 1.3M services billed to Medicare in 2023 by 376 distinct providers, serving 621.1K unique beneficiaries. State-level variation is significant: Nebraska reports the lowest average payment at $15.46, while New York reports the highest at $22.61. The 46% spread here is a moderate, fairly ordinary GPCI effect, local cost-of-practice adjustments nudging the allowed amount up or down without reshaping it.

Applying RAND 2024 commercial-to-Medicare ratios specific to the Temporary Codes category (2.24x), the estimated commercial insurance price lands near $55.32, with self-pay cash discounts commonly bringing the figure closer to $32.22. Within Temporary Codes, Set-Up Portable X-Ray Equipment ranks #128 of 180 tracked procedures by national average Medicare payment.

What to do with this

If you may have set-up portable x-ray equipment done, these steps turn the numbers above into a real-world cost estimate.

  • Request a Good Faith Estimate from your provider at least 3 business days before a scheduled procedure, under the No Surprises Act it is an enforceable written price.
  • Compare set-up portable x-ray equipment costs in your state, Medicare rates vary by locality. Browse states
  • Check a hospital’s published cash price, which is often far below the billed charge. Price transparency
  • Understand why billed charges run several times the Medicare rate before you negotiate. Read the guide

Figures here are averages and estimates, not a quote. Confirm coverage and out-of-pocket costs with your insurer and provider.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Set-Up Portable X-Ray Equipment cost?

Medicare's national average payment for Set-Up Portable X-Ray Equipment (CPT Q0092) is $18.96, with providers billing $49.79 on average; state rates run from $15.46 to $22.61, a meaningful but not extreme spread.

Why do providers charge more than Medicare pays?

Providers set their own chargemaster rates (billed charges), which are typically much higher than what any insurer pays. Medicare pays a fixed rate based on the procedure code and geographic location. The billed charge is relevant mainly for uninsured patients, who may face prices closer to the submitted charge.

How much does Set-Up Portable X-Ray Equipment cost with insurance?

With commercial insurance, set-up portable x-ray equipment costs an estimated $55.32 on average (range: $38.72-$77.45), a moderate premium over Medicare's $18.96. Without insurance, the estimated cash price is $32.22.

Which state has the lowest cost for Set-Up Portable X-Ray Equipment?

Nebraska has the lowest average Medicare payment for Set-Up Portable X-Ray Equipment at $15.46, while New York has the highest at $22.61 - a meaningful $7.15 spread.

How many providers perform Set-Up Portable X-Ray Equipment?

Set-Up Portable X-Ray Equipment is comparatively uncommon: only 376 providers nationally billed Medicare for it in 2023, serving 621.1K beneficiaries via 1.3M total services.

What is the billed-to-Medicare markup for Set-Up Portable X-Ray Equipment?

Providers bill 2.6x what Medicare pays for Set-Up Portable X-Ray Equipment - one of the smaller markups in the catalog at 163% above the Medicare rate.

Data sourced from the CMS Medicare Physician and Other Practitioners dataset. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainProcedure Editorial

Every figure on PlainProcedure is rendered directly from CMS Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on CMS Medicare Physician & Other Practitioners data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.