What an Ultrasound Costs in Montana

Big Sky Imaging · September 4, 2026

Ask what an ultrasound costs in Montana and you will usually be told to call and find out. For several common studies, no Montana provider publishes a cash price you can look up at all. That is not a small inconvenience. It is the reason people put off scans their doctor ordered.

So here is ours, in full. Forty-three studies, every one with a published 2026 cash price, and the radiologist's reading fee included in each.

Range of published cash prices for each group of ultrasound studies, from $170.03 to $806.65 — Every group of studies we perform, with the lowest and highest published price in each and the median marked in orange.

The number that surprises people

The spread is wide, but not evenly. Most studies cluster in a narrow band, and the extremes at either end are unusual cases rather than typical ones.

Histogram showing most of the 43 published prices fall between $250 and $450 — Sixteen of the forty-three studies sit between $250 and $450. The very cheap and very expensive ends are both thin.

The cheapest study on the list is a limited duplex scan of the aorta and iliac vessels at $170.03. The most expensive is a bilateral lower-extremity arterial study at $806.65, which is genuinely two examinations in one sitting. The median is $350.63.

The part that matters more than the number

Every price includes the radiologist's read. That sounds like a technicality and it is not. In a lot of imaging the scan and the interpretation are billed separately, which is how somebody who thought they had paid receives a second invoice weeks later from a radiology group they have never heard of.

When you are calling around for prices, that is the question worth asking every single time: does that include the read? A scan price and a scan-plus-read price are different numbers, and only one of them is what you actually pay.

What these prices are, and are not

These are cash prices: what you pay when you are paying us directly rather than billing insurance. A provider's order is still required, as it is for diagnostic imaging anywhere. What you do not need is insurance prior authorization to get on our schedule, and that is usually the step that turns a same-week study into a three-week one.

If you are billing Medicare, Medicaid or a commercial plan, these are not your numbers. The study goes to the payer and what you owe depends on your coverage and deductible. It is still worth asking for the cash figure, because with a high deductible it is sometimes the lower of the two.

X-ray and EKG are not on this list. Call (855) 249-9729 and we will quote them rather than publish a number that may not apply to your situation.

The full list

Sorted from least to most expensive, with CPT codes so you can compare like for like against anyone else's quote.

Bar chart of all 43 ultrasound studies sorted from the lowest price to the highest — All 43 studies, cheapest at the top. The orange bars mark the extremes of the list.

The same list is on our ultrasound pricing page as a searchable table, and as a PDF you can print or hand to a patient.

Common questions

Why publish prices when almost nobody else does?

Because not publishing them costs patients money and delays care. People call around, get quoted a scan fee that turns out to exclude the read, or simply postpone a study because they cannot find out what it costs. Publishing removes all of that. We are not claiming these are the lowest prices in Montana, because we have not seen everyone else's and neither has anyone else. We are claiming they are knowable.

Will I get a second bill from the radiologist?

Not from us. The price shown covers the study and its interpretation by Rapid Radiology, our teleradiology partner. That is the whole point of publishing it this way.

Do I still need a doctor's order?

Yes. Diagnostic imaging requires a clinician's order, which is a clinical and billing requirement rather than a Big Sky policy. If you do not have one, your primary care provider, a specialist, an urgent care clinic or a physical therapist can write one. See do you need a referral for imaging in Montana.

Are prices different if you come to me?

The prices above are the exam prices. If the study happens at a home or facility rather than in one of our clinics, say so when you place the order and we will confirm the total before scheduling, so nothing is unexpected.

How long are these prices good for?

They are the 2026 list and are subject to change. We confirm the exact price for your study when we schedule it, which is the number that counts.