Bedside Imaging in Billings, MT

Finding a reliable mobile X-ray service in Billings shouldn’t feel like a referral lottery — but between the SNFs clustered along King Avenue and the home health caseloads stretching out toward Laurel and Lockwood, most administrators have learned the hard way that not every provider showing up with a portable unit is worth the contract. This directory exists to cut through that noise and connect you with credentialed, responsive imaging partners who actually know the Billings market.

How to Choose a Mobile X-Ray Service in Billings

• Verify ARRT licensure before anything else. Montana requires radiologic technologists to hold state licensure in addition to ARRT RT(R) credentials. Ask for both — a national cert without a Montana CRT is a compliance exposure waiting to happen during your next survey.
• Ask about turnaround windows, not just availability. “Same-day service” means nothing if the radiologist interpretation comes back 18 hours later. For stat reads on acute presentations, you want a provider who can get a preliminary read to the ordering physician within 2–4 hours.
• Check whether they cover rural dispatch. Billings serves as the regional hub for a massive geographic footprint — Roundup, Hardin, Miles City. If your agency has satellite locations or you’re contracting for hospice, confirm the provider’s coverage radius and whether rural calls carry a fuel surcharge.
• Look for ACR Accreditation or documented QA protocols. Portable equipment isn’t regulated as tightly as fixed installations, but reputable providers run regular QC checks on their digital DR panels. Ask to see their calibration logs. If they look at you blankly, move on.
• Get the billing workflow in writing. Medicare Part B billing for portable X-ray in SNFs has specific modifier requirements. A provider who handles their own billing should be able to explain the TC/26 split without hesitation. One who can’t is going to create claims headaches for your business office.

Pro Tip: Rimrock is the dominant health system in Billings, but the mobile imaging market here is largely independent operators and regional chains — not hospital outreach programs. That means you have real leverage on contract terms. Push for volume pricing if you’re placing 20+ orders per month.

What to Expect

Mobile X-ray studies in Billings typically run $75–200 per study depending on anatomical region, whether ultrasound or EKG is bundled, and the provider’s stat vs. routine pricing tiers. Most contracts price portable chest X-rays at the lower end of that range; extremity series and abdominal studies run higher. Expect a 24–48 hour standard turnaround for routine reads and a 2–6 hour window for stat orders, with the technologist on-site within 2–4 hours of the call in most cases.

Reality Check: The most common billing mistake administrators make is assuming the global fee covers both the technical component (the technologist and equipment) and the professional component (the radiologist read). Many portable providers bill TC only — you or your contracted radiologist group handles the professional read separately. Always clarify this upfront or you’ll be chasing a surprise claim after the fact.

Local Market Overview

Billings has the highest concentration of SNFs and assisted living communities in Montana — over a dozen facilities within a five-mile radius of the downtown core — which means mobile imaging demand here is consistent enough to support multiple competing providers, and you’re not stuck with whoever answers the phone. Yellowstone County’s aging demographics (the 65+ cohort has grown faster here than the Montana average over the last decade) are only increasing that demand, so providers who’ve invested in newer DR equipment and digital transmission infrastructure tend to be the ones worth locking into annual contracts.