Skip to content

Top Navigation

Health.com Health.com
  • Health Conditions A-Z
  • News
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition
  • Fitness
  • Beauty
  • Mind & Body
  • Lifestyle
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Health.com

Health.com Health.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Is Your Doctor Gaslighting You? Here's What to Do

      How to handle a physician who doubts or dismisses your symptoms. Read More Next
    • 9 Signs It's More Serious Than the Common Cold

      Doctors explain how to tell if you have a head cold or something more serious that requires medical attention, such as the flu, strep throat, meningitis, or mono. Read More Next
    • How Your Period Changes During Your 20s, 30s, and 40s

      From easier cramps to a heavier flow, here's a guide on what to expect decade by decade. Read More Next
  • Health Conditions A-Z

    Health Conditions A-Z

    See All Health Conditions A-Z

    12 Anxiety Symptoms That Might Point to a Disorder

    The symptoms of anxiety can be hard to detect. Here are the ones you need to pay attention to, and how to know if you may have an anxiety disorder.
    • Allergies
    • Anxiety
    • Birth Control
    • Breast Cancer
    • Coronavirus
    • Chronic Pain
    • Cold, Flu, and Sinus
    • Depression
    • Digestive Health
    • Diabetes (Type 2)
    • Eczema
    • Eye Health
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Heart Disease
    • Headaches and Migraines
    • Oral Health
    • Pregnancy
    • Psoriasis
    • Sexual Health
    • Skin Conditions
    • Sleep
    • Thyroid
  • News

    News

    See All News

    Shannen Doherty Reveals Stage 4 Breast Cancer Diagnosis—Here's What It Means

    "I'm petrified," the actress said when she shared the news that her breast cancer came back. Here's why a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis can be so frightening.
    • Celebrities
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition

    Diet & Nutrition

    The Best (and Worst) Diets of 2020, According to Experts

    FYI: The keto diet is not number one.
    • Food
    • Nutrition
    • Vitamins and Supplements
    • Groceries
    • Restaurants
    • Diets
    • Keto Diet
    • Mediterranean Diet
    • Whole30
    • Recipes
  • Fitness

    Fitness

    See All Fitness

    10 Moves for a Cardio Workout at Home—No Equipment Required

    Stay in your living room and still spike your heart rate.
    • Cardio Workouts
    • Strength Training
    • Yoga
    • Ab Workouts
    • Arm Workouts
    • Leg Workouts
    • Butt Workouts
    • Fitness Gear
  • Beauty

    Beauty

    See All Beauty

    These 13 Women Prove Every Body Is a Bikini Body

    We're loving their inspirational, body-positive messages.
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Nails
  • Mind & Body

    Mind & Body

    See All Mind & Body

    Why Do People Lie? We Asked an Expert

    Here's the truth about lying.
    • Body Positivity
    • Self-Care
    • Misdiagnosed
    • Invisible Illness
    • LGBTQ+ Health
    • Health Diversity and Inclusion
    • Resolution Reboot
  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    20 Things You Should Throw Away for Better Health

    Clean out expired products and clutter to make way for a healthier you.
    • Healthy Home
    • Pets
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Style
    • Holidays
    • Sex
    • Gifts
    • Money
    • Tech
    • Medicare
    • Best Life Now
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. Mind & Body Chevron Right
  3. 6 Key Medical Scans and What They Should Cost

6 Key Medical Scans and What They Should Cost

By Karen Pallarito
November 18, 2014
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Getty Images
You can save hundreds—even thousands—of dollars on medical imaging tests and procedures by shopping around.
Start Slideshow

1 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Pricing medical scans

Credit: Getty Images

Are you overpaying for common medical scans? Hospitals and medical facilities negotiate prices with health plans, but rarely advertise their rates. If you're not careful, you could pay 300% to 500% more than what the imaging center down the block is charging for the same scan, says Jeffrey Rice, MD, PhD, CEO of Healthcare Bluebook, a guide to "fair" prices for health services. Prices also vary by body part, reflecting the resources required to scan, say, a head versus a hip. Using a contrast agent to make organs and tissues more visible on the scan also bumps up the price. The good news for consumers: "You can get really good value in almost every city in America if you shop around," Dr. Rice says. Here are some sample prices and money-saving tips.

1 of 7

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

MRI

Credit: Getty Images

What it is:

Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, provides detailed pictures of internal organs, tissue, and bone.

What it costs: It's usually more expensive than other types of scans. Healthcare Bluebook's national fair price for an abdominal MRI (without contrast), for example, is $776. For a brain MRI (with and without contrast), it's $1,261. Fair prices in your area may be somewhat higher or lower.

Tip: If a medical facility quotes a steep price, ask your doctor to recommend a place that's just as good, Dr. Rice suggests. You could save yourself a bundle.

2 of 7

3 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

X-Ray

Credit: Getty Images

What it is:

It's the most common type of scan. X-rays can help identify problems like bone fractures, lung-tissue scarring, and tumors in breast tissue.

What it costs: Expect to pay around $47 for an abdominal x-ray, $59 for a chest x-ray and $77 for an x-ray of your ribs. A screening mammogram is $264. (Because it's a preventive service, most health plans cover it fully, at no out-of-pocket costs to you.) A bilateral diagnostic mammogram, used to evaluate suspicious breast changes, is $321.

Tip: Using an in-network facility is no guarantee that you'll get the best price in the market.

3 of 7

Advertisement

4 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

CT Scan

Credit: Getty Images

What it is:

A computerized tomography scan (CT or CAT scan) yields sharper images of soft tissue and blood vessels than traditional x-rays do.

What it costs: Prices range from $410 to $2,334, a 469% difference, says Change Healthcare Corp., which tracks health price variations. What's a fair price? About $146 for a CT to measure calcium deposits in your coronary arteries and $1,418 for a whole-body PET (positron emission tomography) scan with CT imaging, according to Healthcare Bluebook.

Tip: "Even on the inexpensive stuff, if you go to the wrong place you could spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars too much," says Dr. Rice.

4 of 7

5 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Ultrasound

Credit: Getty Images

What it is:

This type of scan captures images in real time. Doctors use it to examine internal organs, monitor blood flow, and guide needles into the body to extract tissue samples for biopsy.

What it costs: It all depends on how the scan is being used. Examples of fair prices include: transvaginal ultrasound, $145; fetal ultrasound, $281; and ultrasound-guided biopsy, $396.

Tip: "Always ask about prices before you get care, and make sure it's a reasonable price," Dr. Rice advises.

5 of 7

6 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Angiography

Credit: Getty Images

What it is:

This scan uses injected dye to view the inside of arteries and blood vessels. The x-ray, or angiogram, can show blockages, aneurysms, bleeding in the brain, and other problems.

What it costs: Healthcare Bluebook's national fair price for bilateral arm or leg angiography is $415. It's about the same—$412—for aortic angiography, a test for tracking blood flow through the body's largest artery. For a coronary angiogram, the national fair price is $7,545.

Tip: With most medical imaging, there's no relationship between price and quality, says Dr. Rice, although angiography may be a "bit of an exception" because this invasive procedure is often performed in an acute-care setting that can demand a higher price.

6 of 7

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Fluoroscopy

Credit: Getty Images

What it is:

This type of scan provides a continuous video image, like a motion picture. Doctors can see the gastrointestinal tract at work, insert catheters, and guide joint replacements, among other uses.

What it costs: Healthcare Bluebook's national fair price is for fluoroscopy is $101.

Tip: Don't be afraid to ask for prices. "The ones that have the best prices will be happy to tell you and they do it very efficiently," Dr. Rice observes.

7 of 7

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Karen Pallarito

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 7 Pricing medical scans
2 of 7 MRI
3 of 7 X-Ray
4 of 7 CT Scan
5 of 7 Ultrasound
6 of 7 Angiography
7 of 7 Fluoroscopy

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Health.com

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact us
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Health.com is part of the Meredith Health Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments. All products and services featured are selected by our editors. Health.com may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.health.com

View image

6 Key Medical Scans and What They Should Cost
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.