Why in-house X-ray matters
[Placeholder: short patient-first, operational and financial copy goes here.]
Your practice
Example defaults; adjust to your practice.
Results
How we calculate this
- X-ray studies/mo = new patients × % X-rayed + re-exams X-rayed; regions/mo = studies × regions per patient
- Payer mix: cash % + Medicare % ≤ 100; insurance / PI / workers' comp = 100 − cash − Medicare
- X-ray fee revenue = studies × (cash % × cash price per study + insurance % × regions × reimbursement per region). Medicare share earns $0; Medicare does not pay chiropractors for X-ray.
- Retained-patient revenue = retained patients/mo × visits per care plan × value per visit (the care-plan value is credited in the month the patient is kept)
- Monthly equipment cost = Finance: standard amortization of the system price (or your quote) at the APR over the term; you own it after payoff. Operating lease: the monthly lease payment you enter (an operating expense; no ownership at end unless bought out). $850/mo is an example only.
- Operating cost = PACS/software/service + overread × studies + staff minutes × studies ÷ 60 × hourly rate
- Net monthly cash flow = revenue − payment − operating cost, shown for X-ray fees alone and with retained patients
- Breakeven = X-ray studies/mo needed for fees alone to cover payment + fixed costs; and retained patients/mo needed to close any remaining gap
- 5-year ROI = (60 × (revenue − operating cost) − equipment payments within 60 months) ÷ those payments
Defaults and ranges: Reagan's research, accounts/sk-family-chiropractic/research/chiro-xray-why-and-roi-inputs.md (Chiropractic Economics 2025, JMPT network data, xraycost.com, OmniPACS, ChiroSight, Sorso). Payer split, regions per patient, reimbursement per region and retained patients are placeholder assumptions. Estimates only; excludes buildout, shielding, registration, taxes and depreciation.