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Procedure price report · Other diagnostic radiology and related techniques

Bile duct dye X-ray through an existing drain

CPT 47531the billing code this page is about

Contrast dye is injected through a tube or drain already in place and X-ray images of the bile ducts are taken; includes the imaging guidance and interpretation.

Hospitals typically charge $2,404 cash for this outpatient procedure — the median across 2,158 hospitals that filed a usable cash price; the average of the middle 60% is $2,540. Most fall between $825 and $4,990 (20th–80th percentile).

Hospitals
2,158
States
50
Filings dated
Jan 2024 – Sep 2026
Computed
September 25, 2026
Prices checked
through September 24, 2026

Median: half of hospitals filed less, half more — and it is a price some hospital actually filed. Average of the middle 60%: the mean of the prices between the 20th and 80th percentiles. We never publish the plain average, the lowest or the highest price: the extremes in hospital price files are chargemaster artefacts, not prices anyone pays.

What hospitals charge, from cheapest to most expensive

Cash price percentiles, outpatient, across 2,158 hospitals. Each figure is a price a hospital filed. 10th: one in ten hospitals charges less; 25th: a quarter charge less; Median: half charge less; 75th: three quarters charge less; 90th: nine in ten charge less.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$467$1,022$2,404$4,427$7,081

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 15× what the cheapest tenth charges ($467 vs $7,081).

How the prices are spread

$277 – $397: 59 hospitals$277$397 – $569: 114 hospitals$569 – $815: 140 hospitals$569$815 – $1,168: 198 hospitals$1,168 – $1,675: 220 hospitals$1,168$1,675 – $2,400: 236 hospitals$2,400 – $3,440: 302 hospitals$2,400$3,440 – $4,931: 346 hospitals$4,931 – $7,067: 214 hospitals$4,931$7,067 – $10,130: 115 hospitals$7,067median $2,404price bands are equal on a log scale
Hospitals per price band (1,944 of 2,158 — the bands cover the 5th to 95th percentile)
FromToHospitals
$277$39759
$397$569114
$569$815140
$815$1,168198
$1,168$1,675220
$1,675$2,400236
$2,400$3,440302
$3,440$4,931346
$4,931$7,067214
$7,067$10,130115

Against Medicare

Medicare pays (OPPS 2026, national rate)$3,658
Median cash price$2,404
Cash as a multiple of Medicare0.66×

The Medicare figure is the national unadjusted OPPS rate for this code — what Medicare itself pays a hospital before local wage adjustment. It is a benchmark, not a price anyone is charged.

By state

The median cash price in each state, against the national median of $2,404.

Alaska: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureAKMaine: median $677 across 13 hospitalsME$677Vermont: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureVTNew Hampshire: 9 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureNHWashington: median $1,926 across 46 hospitalsWA$1,926Idaho: median $1,866 across 14 hospitalsID$1,866Montana: median $660 across 17 hospitalsMT$660North Dakota: median $2,586 across 11 hospitalsND$2,586Minnesota: median $1,193 across 50 hospitalsMN$1,193Illinois: median $2,025 across 97 hospitalsIL$2,025Wisconsin: median $1,299 across 84 hospitalsWI$1,299Michigan: median $2,847 across 60 hospitalsMI$2,847New York: median $4,176 across 83 hospitalsNY$4,176Massachusetts: median $2,720 across 39 hospitalsMA$2,720Oregon: median $2,002 across 41 hospitalsOR$2,002Nevada: median $2,916 across 13 hospitalsNV$2,916Wyoming: 8 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureWYSouth Dakota: median $3,803 across 11 hospitalsSD$3,803Iowa: median $1,457 across 45 hospitalsIA$1,457Indiana: median $1,282 across 55 hospitalsIN$1,282Ohio: median $3,704 across 118 hospitalsOH$3,704Pennsylvania: median $3,522 across 100 hospitalsPA$3,522New Jersey: median $4,156 across 57 hospitalsNJ$4,156Connecticut: median $4,786 across 20 hospitalsCT$4,786Rhode Island: 8 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureRICalifornia: median $4,436 across 166 hospitalsCA$4,436Utah: median $1,174 across 26 hospitalsUT$1,174Colorado: median $1,895 across 47 hospitalsCO$1,895Nebraska: median $2,481 across 27 hospitalsNE$2,481Missouri: median $2,473 across 48 hospitalsMO$2,473Kentucky: median $2,547 across 29 hospitalsKY$2,547West Virginia: median $3,296 across 17 hospitalsWV$3,296Virginia: median $3,966 across 46 hospitalsVA$3,966Maryland: median $214 across 14 hospitalsMD$214Delaware: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureDEArizona: median $1,359 across 38 hospitalsAZ$1,359New Mexico: median $2,978 across 12 hospitalsNM$2,978Kansas: median $1,713 across 26 hospitalsKS$1,713Arkansas: median $1,366 across 21 hospitalsAR$1,366Tennessee: median $1,165 across 46 hospitalsTN$1,165North Carolina: median $1,135 across 60 hospitalsNC$1,135South Carolina: median $5,735 across 40 hospitalsSC$5,735Oklahoma: median $1,443 across 37 hospitalsOK$1,443Louisiana: median $1,102 across 39 hospitalsLA$1,102Mississippi: median $1,750 across 30 hospitalsMS$1,750Alabama: median $2,879 across 26 hospitalsAL$2,879Georgia: median $1,349 across 75 hospitalsGA$1,349Hawaii: median $2,297 across 13 hospitalsHI$2,297Texas: median $2,230 across 155 hospitalsTX$2,230Florida: median $3,383 across 101 hospitalsFL$3,383
Cash price by state, most expensive first. National median $2,404. A state needs at least 10 hospitals with a usable price to show a figure.
StateHospitalsMedianvs national20th–80th
South Carolina SC40$5,735+139%$1,081 – $5,753
Connecticut CT20$4,786+99%$3,647 – $9,181
California CA166$4,436+85%$1,668 – $7,864
New York NY83$4,176+74%$880 – $7,635
New Jersey NJ57$4,156+73%$2,300 – $5,339
Virginia VA46$3,966+65%$1,027 – $5,206
South Dakota SD11$3,803+58%$2,117 – $7,302
Ohio OH118$3,704+54%$1,441 – $6,556
Pennsylvania PA100$3,522+47%$2,242 – $5,726
Florida FL101$3,383+41%$1,221 – $7,830
West Virginia WV17$3,296+37%$1,349 – $6,593
New Mexico NM12$2,978+24%$713 – $4,238
Nevada NV13$2,916+21%$643 – $5,686
Alabama AL26$2,879+20%$1,226 – $5,587
Michigan MI60$2,847+18%$677 – $4,923
Massachusetts MA39$2,720+13%$660 – $5,119
North Dakota ND11$2,586+8%$294 – $5,014
Kentucky KY29$2,547+6%$283 – $4,467
Nebraska NE27$2,481+3%$492 – $3,434
Missouri MO48$2,473+3%$1,133 – $3,607
Hawaii HI13$2,297−4%$509 – $5,203
Texas TX155$2,230−7%$1,317 – $3,286
Illinois IL97$2,025−16%$661 – $4,804
Oregon OR41$2,002−17%$922 – $3,463
Washington WA46$1,926−20%$876 – $3,182
Colorado CO47$1,895−21%$584 – $5,012
Idaho ID14$1,866−22%$1,500 – $8,630
Mississippi MS30$1,750−27%$403 – $2,338
Kansas KS26$1,713−29%$730 – $3,373
Iowa IA45$1,457−39%$494 – $2,930
Oklahoma OK37$1,443−40%$478 – $3,862
Arkansas AR21$1,366−43%$253 – $4,250
Arizona AZ38$1,359−43%$442 – $5,910
Georgia GA75$1,349−44%$1,015 – $3,284
Wisconsin WI84$1,299−46%$617 – $3,544
Indiana IN55$1,282−47%$708 – $3,769
Minnesota MN50$1,193−50%$704 – $2,715
Utah UT26$1,174−51%$998 – $1,174
Tennessee TN46$1,165−52%$694 – $1,811
North Carolina NC60$1,135−53%$757 – $2,212
Louisiana LA39$1,102−54%$510 – $2,425
Maine ME13$677−72%$270 – $1,884
Montana MT17$660−73%$475 – $2,864
Maryland MD14$214−91%$133 – $688
New Hampshire NH9not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Rhode Island RI8not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Wyoming WY8not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Delaware DE7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Vermont VT7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Alaska AK6not enough hospitals filed a usable price

Hospitals like yours

The same distribution cut by the kind of hospital. Hospital type and ownership come from CMS; a hospital counts as part of a system when its price file is shared with at least one other hospital under the same brand. The national median is $2,404.

Cash price by hospital segment. A segment needs at least 20 hospitals to show a figure.
SegmentHospitalsMedian20th–80th
Hospital type
Acute care1,799$2,535$980 – $5,204
Children’s43$1,482$824 – $3,342
Critical access307$1,165$396 – $3,841
Ownership
For-profit214$2,480$980 – $5,204
Government309$1,750$521 – $4,394
Non-profit1,626$2,478$869 – $5,196
System affiliation
Part of a system1,815$2,418$902 – $5,097
Independent343$2,291$476 – $4,790

Cash price vs list price

Median list price (chargemaster)$4,082
Median cash price$2,404
Cash as a share of list, median hospital60%

At the typical hospital, asking for the cash price cuts the list price by about 40%. The share is the median of each hospital’s own cash ÷ list ratio, over hospitals that filed both — not the ratio of the two medians above.

The same procedure, inpatient

1,627 hospitals filed a usable inpatient cash price for this code. The median is $2,418 and the average of the middle 60% is $2,567; most fall between $837 and $5,264.

Cash price percentiles, inpatient, across 1,627 hospitals. Each figure is a price a hospital filed. 10th: one in ten hospitals charges less; 25th: a quarter charge less; Median: half charge less; 75th: three quarters charge less; 90th: nine in ten charge less.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$485$1,029$2,418$4,563$7,635

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 16× what the cheapest tenth charges ($485 vs $7,635).

Of the 1,785 hospitals that filed this code inpatient, 1,627 gave a usable cash price; 80 carried a plausibility flag, 1 filed a number their own filing marks as not a price, 0 gave an estimate, and 77 a list price only.

How complete is this

2,158 of the 3,956 hospitals with a price file in our corpus (55%) filed a usable outpatient cash price for this code, and those are the hospitals every figure on this page is computed from.

What the 2,377 hospitals that filed this code at all gave us
Usable cash price — counted2,158
Cash price carrying a plausibility flag — shown on the compare tool, excluded here128
A number the filing itself marks as not a price (a placeholder, a ratio) — excluded1
An estimate rather than a filed cash price — excluded5
A list price only, no cash figure — excluded85
Hospitals that filed this code2,377

Sections not shown for this setting

  • Since our last snapshot: there is no earlier snapshot at least 90 days older than this one yet.

We last checked these hospitals’ price files for changes between September 4, 2026 and September 24, 2026; the figures were computed September 25, 2026 from filings loaded through September 24, 2026. The percentiles and averages use only the “counted” row.

Related procedures

Part of the Other diagnostic radiology and related techniques family.

Hospitals file this code under descriptions such as Njx Cholangio Prq W/Img Gid Rs&I Existing Access.

Method

Source
The machine-readable price files every U.S. hospital is required by CMS to publish, parsed per hospital. Nothing is surveyed, sampled or modelled.
What counts
One cash (self-pay) price per hospital for this code and setting. A hospital’s own filing can rule its number out — a placeholder, a “not applicable” note, a list price standing in for cash — and our plausibility checks can flag a price far below what every other hospital files. Both kinds are disclosed above and excluded from the statistics; on the compare tool a flagged price is still shown.
Statistics
Percentiles are discrete: each is a price some hospital filed. The average is the mean of the prices between the 20th and 80th percentiles. We never publish the plain mean, the minimum or the maximum. A state needs 10 hospitals and a segment 20 to show a figure; otherwise the row shows its count and no number. Medicare is the national unadjusted OPPS rate where one exists.
Names
Procedure names on these pages are our own plain-language titles, not the AMA’s copyrighted CPT descriptors. The code is the identity.

The full rules — sources, statistics, thresholds, limitations — are on the methodology page.

Download this page’s figures: JSON · CSV. Aggregates only — the per-hospital prices are on the compare tool.

Cite: HospitalRates.com, “Bile duct dye X-ray through an existing drain (CPT 47531) — cash price report,” computed September 25, 2026. https://hospitalrates.com/procedures/cpt-47531-bile-duct-dye-x-ray-through-an-existing-drain