Cost analysis for CPT 71271 — Low dose ct scan of chest for lung cancer screening
Average Medicare Payment
$72.54
2023 data
Total Payments (2023)
$28.7M
Services (2023)
384.2K
Price Change (2021–2023)
+11.4%
| Year | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $65.11 | $19.9M | 299.3K | — |
| 2022 | $73.41 | $25.0M | 331.5K | +12.7% |
| 2023 | $72.54 | $28.7M | 384.2K | -1.2% |
The most expensive state pays 3.1x more than the cheapest for this procedure. GU averages $155.07 vs WV at $50.63.
| State | Avg Payment | Total Payments | Services | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GU | $155.07 | $80.3K | 518 | 4 |
| MD | $118.34 | $1.3M | 11.3K | 166 |
| NJ | $112.22 | $866.2K | 7.7K | 201 |
| CA | $103.64 | $2.0M | 18.9K | 466 |
| DC | $100.18 | $86.9K | 867 | 24 |
| FL | $100.03 | $1.9M | 18.9K | 434 |
| AZ | $97.34 | $459.8K | 4.7K | 115 |
| NY | $93.87 | $2.1M | 22.5K | 458 |
| NV | $92.78 | $147.3K | 1.6K | 41 |
| DE | $89.42 | $230.8K | 2.6K | 23 |
| WY | $89.20 | $43.0K | 482 | 14 |
| CT | $89.15 | $398.3K | 4.5K | 120 |
| AK | $89.08 | $92.0K | 1.0K | 30 |
| HI | $88.46 | $56.5K | 639 | 20 |
| RI | $88.20 | $229.9K | 2.6K | 57 |
| NM | $81.65 | $164.5K | 2.0K | 35 |
| TX | $80.15 | $1.3M | 16.8K | 450 |
| CO | $76.94 | $431.6K | 5.6K | 156 |
| WA | $74.67 | $648.4K | 8.7K | 168 |
| VA | $74.09 | $1.1M | 15.4K | 255 |
| AL | $73.69 | $354.8K | 4.8K | 159 |
| MS | $72.29 | $298.3K | 4.1K | 93 |
| KS | $71.07 | $357.5K | 5.0K | 117 |
| MN | $71.03 | $592.5K | 8.3K | 234 |
| TN | $70.17 | $777.5K | 11.1K | 251 |
| ID | $69.90 | $114.5K | 1.6K | 56 |
| OR | $69.74 | $319.7K | 4.6K | 91 |
| NC | $69.72 | $1.6M | 22.4K | 408 |
| MA | $69.34 | $1.3M | 19.0K | 304 |
| UT | $68.66 | $32.9K | 479 | 15 |
| NH | $68.43 | $203.9K | 3.0K | 71 |
| MT | $66.50 | $73.2K | 1.1K | 34 |
| IL | $65.76 | $1.2M | 17.5K | 393 |
| IA | $62.69 | $398.6K | 6.4K | 121 |
| NE | $61.97 | $270.4K | 4.4K | 99 |
| LA | $61.86 | $262.2K | 4.2K | 135 |
| SC | $61.58 | $533.2K | 8.7K | 163 |
| WI | $61.54 | $506.0K | 8.2K | 211 |
| KY | $61.39 | $531.8K | 8.7K | 160 |
| PA | $60.05 | $1.0M | 17.1K | 423 |
| MI | $58.37 | $946.0K | 16.2K | 318 |
| GA | $58.23 | $566.0K | 9.7K | 240 |
| AR | $57.90 | $202.0K | 3.5K | 102 |
| SD | $57.18 | $97.0K | 1.7K | 43 |
| IN | $57.17 | $377.9K | 6.6K | 150 |
| MO | $56.88 | $639.5K | 11.2K | 223 |
| OH | $56.40 | $941.8K | 16.7K | 290 |
| ME | $55.14 | $118.4K | 2.1K | 61 |
| ND | $54.88 | $92.2K | 1.7K | 41 |
| OK | $52.97 | $129.7K | 2.4K | 80 |
| VT | $52.31 | $70.5K | 1.3K | 23 |
| Provider | Specialty | State | Payments | Services | Avg/Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalia Artal | Diagnostic Radiology | CA | $223.4K | 1.4K | $155.69 |
| Adam Attoun | Diagnostic Radiology | CA | $63.1K | 427 | $147.80 |
| Richard Odero | Diagnostic Radiology | MD | $60.7K | 377 | $160.92 |
| Neil Gambill | Diagnostic Radiology | DE | $58.4K | 423 | $138.16 |
| Christopher Flye | Diagnostic Radiology | NC | $58.3K | 647 | $90.15 |
| Alka Singh | Diagnostic Radiology | MD | $58.0K | 365 | $158.99 |
| Adam Scherr | Diagnostic Radiology | MD | $57.8K | 374 | $154.58 |
| Carolinas Imaging Services Llc | Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility (IDTF) | NC | $57.4K | 432 | $132.95 |
| Randy Becker | Diagnostic Radiology | MD | $54.6K | 354 | $154.17 |
| Ronald Wachsberg | Diagnostic Radiology | NJ | $54.4K | 631 | $86.16 |
| Allison Tillack | Diagnostic Radiology | WA | $52.6K | 570 | $92.32 |
| Felipe Urdaneta | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $51.8K | 316 | $164.01 |
| Vaiman Tsang | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $51.5K | 301 | $171.00 |
| Allison Oldfield | Diagnostic Radiology | MD | $50.9K | 329 | $154.68 |
| Samuel Plesner | Diagnostic Radiology | WA | $50.5K | 522 | $96.82 |
| Jason Chalifoux | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $50.0K | 292 | $171.40 |
| Patrick Kang | Diagnostic Radiology | NY | $47.4K | 281 | $168.52 |
| Mukul Das | Diagnostic Radiology | MD | $46.2K | 290 | $159.47 |
| Ehab Youssef | Diagnostic Radiology | MI | $45.3K | 436 | $103.92 |
| Jeffrey Nackos | Diagnostic Radiology | WA | $42.9K | 431 | $99.64 |
The data suggests significant pricing inconsistencies for CPT 71271. With a 3.1x price gap between the most and least expensive states, geography plays an outsized role in what Medicare pays for this procedure.
Costs have risen 11.4% since 2021, outpacing inflation and raising questions about whether reimbursement rates reflect actual costs.
This analysis is based on publicly available CMS data and does not account for patient complexity, comorbidities, or facility-specific factors that may justify pricing differences.
Note: All data is from publicly available Medicare records. OpenMedicare is an independent journalism project not affiliated with CMS.