In 2024, Medicaid providers in Kinston submitted $968,748 in claims for radiology procedures, data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database shows. That total reflects a 42.7% rise over 2023, when $678,960 in claims were filed for these procedures.
Medicaid, a health insurance program administered by the states and funded jointly by federal and state governments, provides coverage for low-income individuals and families, seniors, children, and people with disabilities, making it a major element of the U.S. health care system.
Since Medicaid is financed by taxpayers, changes in local billing demonstrate how public health dollars are distributed in the area.
The “Radiology Procedures” category includes a set of Medicaid-billed services defined by the type of care, using standardized HCPCS and CPT code groupings. For this report, each billing code was placed in a single service category determined by code prefixes and numeric ranges, which allowed for analysis of similar services, accurate rankings over time, and prevention of duplicate counts.
Radiology Procedures ranked sixth among all Medicaid service categories by total payments in Kinston for 2024, despite overall growth in spending across categories.
Across North Carolina, the Radiology Procedures category was the 11th highest by Medicaid payment totals for 2024.
From 2019 through 2024, Medicaid payments for Radiology Procedures in Kinston grew by $758,169, or 360%. Certain years during this period, including 2022 and 2023, saw especially strong growth year over year.
For 2024, billing for Radiology Procedures was present in several areas but most payments were focused in a few ZIP codes. ZIP code 28503 accounted for $967,236, and 28501 for $1,511—together making up 100% of Kinston’s payments for this category in that year.
Payment totals within this category were also highly concentrated among a small set of individual billing codes.
When compared to the previous year’s figures, Medicaid payments for radiology procedures in Kinston increased by 42.7%, while payments across all Medicaid categories rose by 3.9% over the same period.
Data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services indicate that federal and state Medicaid spending combined reached approximately $871.7 billion in fiscal year 2023. This accounted for around 18% of total national health expenditures, jumping from about $613.5 billion in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This increase amounts to roughly 40% growth in just a few years, mainly due to increased enrollment and higher utilization after the pandemic period.
Recent federal budget legislation during the Trump administration has proposed substantial cuts to federal Medicaid support and program restructuring. For instance, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted in 2025, is set to reduce federal Medicaid spending by over $1 trillion in the next decade, introducing policies such as work requirements and greater cost sharing that could reduce funding and coverage for some enrollees. These measures are expected to shift costs to states and limit future federal support, even as the program continues to serve tens of millions of Americans.
| Year | Total Medicaid Payments | % Change From Previous Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $210,579 | -32.3% |
| 2021 | $214,730 | 2% |
| 2022 | $516,206 | 140.4% |
| 2023 | $678,960 | 31.5% |
| 2024 | $968,748 | 42.7% |
| Rank | Category | Medicaid Payments | Share of City Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medicine Services and Procedures | $9,582,941 | 21.5% |
| 2 | National Codes Established for State Medicaid Agencies | $9,315,657 | 20.9% |
| 3 | Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment | $8,760,850 | 19.7% |
| 4 | Evaluation and Management | $7,968,316 | 17.9% |
| 5 | Temporary National Codes (Non-Medicare) | $5,253,508 | 11.8% |
| 6 | Radiology Procedures | $968,748 | 2.2% |
| 7 | Ambulance and Other Transport Services and Supplies | $882,298 | 2% |
| 8 | Pathology and Laboratory Procedures | $747,447 | 1.7% |
| 9 | Medical And Surgical Supplies | $277,944 | 0.6% |
| 10 | Durable Medical Equipment | $158,496 | 0.4% |
| 11 | Orthotic Procedures and services | $151,806 | 0.3% |
| 12 | Drugs Administered Other than Oral Method | $111,926 | 0.3% |
| 13 | Enteral and Parenteral Therapy | $92,054 | 0.2% |
| 14 | Surgery | $87,880 | 0.2% |
| 15 | Procedures / Professional Services | $86,874 | 0.2% |
| 16 | Dental Services | $45,463 | 0.1% |
| 17 | Durable medical equipment (DME) Medicare administrative contractors (MACs) | $23,515 | 0.1% |
| 18 | Temporary Codes | $11,603 | <0.1% |
| 19 | Coronavirus Diagnostic Panel | $2,203 | <0.1% |
| 20 | Administrative, Miscellaneous and Investigational | $5 | <0.1% |
| HCPCS Code | Description | Medicaid Payments | Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| 74177 | Ct abd & pelvis w/contrast | $391,457 | 20 |
| 70450 | Ct head/brain w/o dye | $291,912 | 39 |
| 74022 | Radex compl aqt abd series | $77,399 | 34 |
| 71046 | X-ray exam chest 2 views | $75,280 | 37 |
| 71045 | X-ray exam chest 1 view | $65,690 | 57 |
| 74176 | Ct abd & pelvis w/o contrast | $22,389 | 2 |
| 71275 | Ct angiography chest | $15,405 | 2 |
| 72125 | Ct neck spine w/o dye | $9,362 | 2 |
| 73030 | X-ray exam of shoulder | $3,585 | 2 |
| 77336 | Radiation physics consult | $3,519 | 2 |
| 76856 | Us exam pelvic complete | $3,397 | 1 |
| 73610 | X-ray exam of ankle | $3,357 | 2 |
| 73562 | X-ray exam of knee 3 | $2,774 | 2 |
| 73130 | X-ray exam of hand | $1,703 | 1 |
| 76805 | Ob us >/= 14 wks sngl fetus | $880 | 1 |
| 76816 | Ob us follow-up per fetus | $631 | 2 |
Note: HCPCS codes are shown for context within the category. Category totals and rankings in this article are based on standardized service groupings rather than individual billing codes.
Information in this article was obtained from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Medicaid Provider Spending database. The source data can be found here.
