How Much Does a Bone Age X-Ray Cost?
Quick Answer: Bone Age X-Ray Prices (2026)
- Imaging center, self-pay: $60-$150 (some centers list cash prices around $75)
- Pediatrician or endocrinology clinic with on-site x-ray: $60-$175
- Hospital or children's hospital outpatient: $150-$350, occasionally up to about $450
- With insurance: usually a $10-$75 copay, or the negotiated rate (about $40-$150) if you haven't met your deductible
- Medicaid / CHIP: $0 or a small copay when medically necessary
- UK private: about £80-£200; free on the NHS with a referral
The study is billed under CPT 77072 and delivers one of the lowest radiation doses of any x-ray, less than 0.001 mSv.
Parents usually search for this test after a pediatrician or pediatric endocrinologist says, "let's get a bone age." It is a quick, inexpensive and very low-dose x-ray, but the price still varies roughly five-fold depending on where you go. Reported cash charges for CPT 77072 range from about $63 at the low end to around $350 at some hospital outpatient departments, with many hospital prices clustered between $130 and $200. Independent imaging centers sit at the low end of that range.
This guide explains what the test is, why it's ordered, what it costs with and without insurance, how it's read (including the Greulich-Pyle atlas and newer AI software), how often children need it repeated, and how to keep the bill low. If your child needs a hand x-ray for an injury rather than a growth question, see our hand x-ray cost guide or wrist x-ray cost guide instead; those are different studies with different codes.
What Is a Bone Age X-Ray?
A bone age study (also called skeletal age or skeletal maturity assessment) is normally a single frontal x-ray of the left hand and wrist. Children's bones change shape in a predictable sequence as they mature: small wrist bones appear and grow, and the growth plates at the ends of the finger and forearm bones gradually narrow and then fuse. A radiologist compares the image with reference standards and reports a "bone age" in years and months, which is then compared with the child's actual (chronological) age.
The left hand is used by convention: the main reference atlases were built from left-hand images, and because most people are right-handed, the left hand is less likely to have old injuries that distort the result. The appointment takes about 5-10 minutes, needs no preparation, and the child simply rests a hand flat on the detector for a second.
Why Doctors Order a Bone Age Study
Bone age is a tool for understanding growth and puberty timing. Common reasons include:
- Short stature or slow growth: a delayed bone age suggests more time to grow (as in constitutional growth delay), while a bone age matching or ahead of real age points the workup in other directions.
- Early (precocious) puberty: sex hormones speed up skeletal maturation, so an advanced bone age supports the diagnosis and helps decide whether treatment is worthwhile.
- Delayed puberty: helps distinguish a "late bloomer" from a hormonal problem.
- Unusually tall stature and some genetic syndromes.
- Endocrine conditions such as hypothyroidism, growth hormone deficiency or congenital adrenal hyperplasia, which can delay or advance bone age.
- Monitoring treatment with growth hormone or puberty-blocking medication.
- Predicting adult height and timing orthopedic procedures for leg-length differences or scoliosis, where remaining growth matters.
A bone age result is never a diagnosis on its own. It's one data point the specialist combines with growth charts, family heights, puberty staging and blood tests.
Bone Age X-Ray Cost Without Insurance
Because a bone age study is a planned, non-urgent test, you have time to shop around. Typical 2026 self-pay prices in the United States:
| Facility Type | Low End | Typical | High End |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freestanding Imaging Center | $60 | $90 | $150 |
| Pediatric / Endocrinology Office with X-Ray | $60 | $110 | $175 |
| Urgent Care Center | $75 | $125 | $200 |
| Hospital / Children's Hospital Outpatient | $150 | $200 | $350+ |
| Emergency Room | Not appropriate: bone age is never an emergency test, and an ER visit would add hundreds of dollars in fees | ||
Ranges are typical all-inclusive self-pay prices (images plus radiologist report) based on published cash prices and hospital price lists; your local prices may differ.
Some real-world reference points: price reports collected by ClearHealthCosts for CPT 77072 range from about $63 to $346, with several Louisiana imaging center sites listing a $75 cash price and a median around $187 among mostly New York-area hospitals. HonorHealth in Arizona lists a 2025 prompt-pay self-pay price of $283 for the same code. Most urgent care clinics don't routinely perform bone age studies, so call first.
Ask whether the quote includes the radiologist's interpretation. Some facilities bill the reading separately, and a pediatric radiologist's read at a children's hospital may arrive as a second bill.
CPT Code and Medicare Benchmark
| CPT Code | Description | 2026 Medicare National Amount | Typical Self-Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77072 | Bone age studies (single hand/wrist image) | About $25 | $60 - $350 |
The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule assigns 77072 about 0.76 relative value units, which works out to roughly $25 nationally before local adjustment. Children aren't on Medicare, but this figure is a useful sanity check: many commercial insurers pay a multiple of the Medicare rate, and cash prices far above $150 mostly reflect hospital overhead rather than a more complex test. Because the hand and wrist are captured together in one image, it should be billed as one study, not as a separate hand x-ray (73120/73130) plus wrist x-ray (73100/73110).
Bone Age X-Ray Cost With Insurance
A bone age x-ray is routinely covered when the order lists a specific diagnosis such as short stature, abnormal growth velocity, precocious or delayed puberty, or growth hormone therapy monitoring. What you pay depends on your plan:
| Coverage Type | Typical Cost to You |
|---|---|
| Copay plan (employer or marketplace) | $10 - $75; sometimes $0 if done during an office visit |
| Coinsurance after deductible | 10-30% of a roughly $40 - $150 negotiated rate |
| High-deductible plan, before deductible | The full negotiated rate, roughly $40 - $150 (higher at hospitals) |
| Medicaid / CHIP | $0 or a small copay |
Coverage is more likely to be denied when the study is ordered out of curiosity about a child's adult height or for a sports age check, which most plans consider not medically necessary. Before the appointment, ask the clinic which diagnosis code it will submit and confirm the imaging facility is in-network. On a high-deductible plan, a cash price at an imaging center can be lower than the hospital's negotiated rate; see our insurance coverage guide for how to compare.
How a Bone Age Is Read: Greulich-Pyle, Tanner-Whitehouse and AI
The most widely used method in the US is the Greulich-Pyle atlas, a book of reference hand x-rays for boys and girls at different ages, originally built from children studied in Ohio in the mid-twentieth century. The radiologist finds the reference image that best matches your child's hand. A more detailed alternative, the Tanner-Whitehouse (TW3) method, scores individual bones and is used more often in Europe and research.
Because matching to an atlas involves judgment, two readers can differ by several months. AI software is now used at some centers: BoneXpert, for example, has FDA clearance to estimate Greulich-Pyle bone age automatically, and in a US multicenter study it agreed with the reference standard at least as closely as an individual pediatric radiologist. AI-assisted reads don't usually change what you're billed; the radiologist still signs the report. A normal result typically falls within about two standard deviations of the child's real age, and the report states which reference was used, so follow-up studies are most comparable when read the same way.
Is a Bone Age X-Ray Safe?
Yes. It's among the lowest-dose medical x-rays. RadiologyInfo (from the American College of Radiology and RSNA) lists extremity x-rays such as the hand at less than 0.001 mSv, comparable to less than three hours of natural background radiation, and a small fraction of a chest x-ray (about 0.1 mSv). The hand is also far from the organs most sensitive to radiation. Even children who are x-rayed every 6-12 months during treatment receive a very small cumulative dose. As with any imaging, it should only be done when the result will guide care. See our x-ray safety guide for context.
How Often Is a Bone Age Repeated?
Many children need only one. When a specialist is following growth or treatment, a repeat is commonly done every 6-12 months, and sometimes once a year, for example during growth hormone therapy or treatment for early puberty. Bone age changes slowly, so repeating it more often than about every six months rarely adds useful information. If repeats are planned, budget for them: three studies at a hospital at $250 each cost about $750, while the same studies at a $75-$100 imaging center cost about $225-$300.
Bone Age X-Ray vs. Other Tests
A plain x-ray is the standard test, and there's usually no reason to use anything else. Ultrasound and MRI methods for estimating skeletal age exist but aren't routine in clinical practice and cost more. A nuclear medicine bone scan is a completely different test, used for things like hidden fractures or infection, and is not used for bone age. The specialist workup around a bone age, such as blood tests for thyroid, growth hormone or puberty hormones, usually costs far more than the x-ray itself.
Bone Age X-Ray Cost in the UK, Canada and Australia
UK: on the NHS a bone age x-ray is free when requested by a paediatrician or GP. Privately, the x-ray and report typically cost about £80-£200, usually arranged through a private paediatric endocrinology consultation, which costs extra. See our UK x-ray cost guide.
Canada: the study is covered by provincial health plans when a physician orders it. Australia: Medicare rebates referred x-rays, and many radiology practices bulk-bill children, though some charge a gap fee. See our Canada and Australia guides.
How to Save Money on a Bone Age X-Ray
- Use a freestanding imaging center. The test is identical, and imaging centers often charge a third to a half of hospital prices.
- Ask the specialist's office where it sends bone ages. Some endocrinology clinics are hospital-based by default; ask whether an outside imaging center is acceptable.
- Get the self-pay price by CPT code (77072) and confirm it includes the radiologist's read.
- Make sure it's billed as one study, not as separate hand and wrist x-rays.
- Plan repeats at the same low-cost facility, which also keeps follow-up reads consistent.
- Use HSA/FSA funds and ask about prompt-pay discounts. More ideas are in our cost-saving tips and x-ray without insurance guides.
The Bottom Line
A bone age x-ray is a single, very low-dose image of the left hand and wrist billed under CPT 77072. Expect $60-$150 at an imaging center, $150-$350 at a hospital, or a $10-$75 copay with insurance when the order lists a growth or puberty diagnosis. Because the test isn't urgent and may be repeated every 6-12 months, choosing a low-cost imaging center can save hundreds of dollars over the course of treatment. Related guides: pelvis x-ray cost (including children's AP and frog-leg views) and abdominal x-ray cost.
Medical Disclaimer
The information provided on XRayCost.com is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or medical procedure. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
Last Updated: October 12, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions About Bone Age X-Ray Costs
Without insurance, a bone age x-ray (CPT 77072) typically costs $60-$150 at a freestanding imaging center, $60-$175 at a pediatric or endocrinology office with its own x-ray, and $150-$350 at a hospital or children's hospital outpatient department. Published cash prices range from about $63 to around $350. Ask for an all-inclusive price that covers the radiologist's report.
With insurance, a bone age hand and wrist x-ray usually costs a $10-$75 copay when the order lists a growth or puberty diagnosis such as short stature or early puberty. If you haven't met your deductible, you pay the insurer's negotiated rate, typically about $40-$150 and more at hospitals. Medicaid and CHIP usually cover it at no cost or a small copay.
Yes. A hand x-ray delivers less than 0.001 mSv, comparable to less than three hours of natural background radiation and a small fraction of a chest x-ray. The hand is far from radiation-sensitive organs. Even repeat studies every 6-12 months during treatment keep the cumulative dose very low. It should still only be done when the result will guide your child's care.
Bone age studies are billed under CPT 77072. The 2026 Medicare national amount is roughly $25 before local adjustment. Because the left hand and wrist are captured in one image, it should be billed as a single study, not as separate hand and wrist x-rays.
By convention. The standard reference atlases, including the Greulich-Pyle atlas, were built from left-hand x-rays, and since most people are right-handed, the left hand is less likely to have old injuries that could affect the reading.
Many children need only one. When a specialist is monitoring growth hormone therapy, puberty treatment or a growth problem, a repeat is commonly done every 6-12 months. Bone age changes slowly, so more frequent studies rarely add information. Using the same low-cost imaging center for repeats saves money and keeps readings consistent.
At some centers, yes. FDA-cleared software such as BoneXpert can estimate Greulich-Pyle bone age automatically, and studies show it agrees with expert readers at least as closely as individual radiologists do. A radiologist still reviews and signs the report, and AI assistance doesn't usually change the price you pay.
Privately, a bone age x-ray and report typically cost about £80-£200 in the UK, usually arranged through a private paediatric consultant whose fee is extra. On the NHS the test is free when requested by a paediatrician or GP.
Sources
- CMS Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, 2026 relative value units for CPT 77072 (via FastRVU lookup)
- ClearHealthCosts: reported prices for CPT 77072 x-rays for bone age
- HonorHealth radiology self-pay (prompt pay) price list, January 2025
- RadiologyInfo.org (ACR/RSNA): Radiation dose in x-ray and CT exams
- Visiana BoneXpert FDA 510(k) clearance and US multicenter validation, as reported by AuntMinnie and Radiology Business
- Greulich WW, Pyle SI. Radiographic Atlas of Skeletal Development of the Hand and Wrist, 2nd ed., Stanford University Press
Prices are typical ranges, not quotes. Confirm the price with your provider before your appointment.