Cost of Getting Copies of Your X-Rays

How Much Does It Cost to Get Copies of Your X-Rays?

Getting copies of your x-rays costs $0 to $50 in most cases. If you ask for them electronically from a provider using a certified electronic health record, federal rules cap what you can be charged and many facilities hand them over free. A CD or DVD burned at the radiology department typically costs $5 to $25, printed film costs $10 to $60 per sheet, and a rush or mailed request adds $10 to $30. What you must never be charged for is the doctor's time in reviewing or retrieving the record.

The images belong to the facility, but under US federal law you have a right to a copy, and that right covers the actual images, not just the radiologist's written report. Knowing which format to ask for is what keeps the price at the bottom of that range instead of the top.

Cost of X-Ray Copies by Format

Dental practices follow the same pattern: a copy of dental x-rays is normally free by email or $10 to $25 on a disc. See our dental x-ray cost guide for what the images themselves cost.

Your Legal Right to Copies in the United States

Under HIPAA, you have the right to inspect and receive a copy of your medical records, including diagnostic images. Three rules do most of the work in keeping the cost down:

• Only actual costs may be charged. A provider may recover the labour of copying, the cost of the disc or film, and postage if you asked for it posted. Search fees, retrieval fees, and the clinician's review time are not chargeable.
• Electronic copies of electronic records are cheap or free. If your images are stored digitally, you are entitled to an electronic copy, and the permitted fee is minimal. Many health systems now release them through a patient portal at no charge.
• There is a deadline. A provider must respond within 30 days, with one 30-day extension permitted if they explain the delay in writing.

Several states cap fees more tightly than federal rules do, and a number require the first copy each year to be free. If you are quoted a figure that feels high, ask the medical records department to itemise it and to confirm the charge complies with your state's fee schedule.

In the UK, the equivalent right sits under UK GDPR as a subject access request. Both NHS trusts and private clinics must supply a copy of your images and records free of charge within one month. A fee is only permitted for a request that is manifestly excessive or for repeat copies of the same records.

Why Getting Your Own Copies Saves Real Money

The strongest reason to collect your images is not record-keeping. It is that a $15 disc routinely prevents a repeat study costing hundreds of dollars.

• Avoiding a duplicate x-ray. A specialist without prior images will often just re-image. Bringing the originals turns a $200 to $600 repeat study into no charge at all, and spares you the radiation.
• Second opinions. A second radiologist can only re-read the study if they have the actual images. The written report alone is not enough.
• Comparison over time. Radiologists read new images far more confidently against a prior study. For anything being monitored — a healing fracture, a lung nodule, arthritis progression — having the old images available materially improves the report.
• Switching providers or moving. Facilities do not keep images forever. Retention rules vary by state and country, and images from a clinic that closes can become genuinely unrecoverable.

How to Request Copies Without Overpaying

1. Ask the radiology or imaging department, not the front desk. The images live with the imaging facility that performed the study, which is often not the doctor who ordered it. Going straight to the source avoids a second handling fee.
2. Ask for the electronic copy first. Use the phrase "an electronic copy of the DICOM images". That is the format specialists can actually open, and it is the cheapest option you are entitled to.
3. Ask for the images and the report together. They are frequently stored separately and released separately, and a second request often means a second fee.
4. Have the study details ready. Date of the x-ray, body part, ordering doctor, and the facility name. Vague requests get slow, expensive handling.
5. Ask for direct provider-to-provider transfer where possible. If the images are only going to another doctor, most systems will send them electronically at no cost to you.
6. Decline printed film unless it has been specifically requested. Film is by far the most expensive format and the one almost no modern specialist wants.
7. Get an itemised figure before agreeing. If a facility quotes a flat "records fee" of $50 or more for a single x-ray, ask what it covers. Search and retrieval charges are not permitted under HIPAA.

How Long Are X-Rays Kept?

Retention periods vary, and requesting copies before they expire matters more than the fee does:

• United States: most states require adult imaging to be retained for 5 to 10 years from the date of the study.
• Children's imaging: generally retained longer, commonly until several years past the age of majority.
• United Kingdom (NHS): diagnostic images are typically retained for 8 years for adults, and until a child's 25th birthday for pediatric studies.
• Closed practices: records are usually transferred to a custodian or another practice, but tracing them can take weeks. If a clinic is closing, request your images before it does.

Last Updated: August 27, 2026

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