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Procedure price report · Radioisotope scan and function studies

Nuclear heart stress test, multiple images

CPT 78452the billing code this page is about

Tomographic nuclear imaging of blood flow to the heart muscle using multiple image sets at rest and/or with exercise or medication stress.

Hospitals typically charge $3,168 cash for this outpatient procedure — the median across 2,914 hospitals that filed a usable cash price; the average of the middle 60% is $3,251. Most fall between $1,674 and $5,242 (20th–80th percentile).

Hospitals
2,914
States
50
Filings dated
Aug 2022 – Sep 2026
Computed
September 25, 2026
Prices checked
through September 24, 2026

Median: half of hospitals filed less, half more — and it is a price some hospital actually filed. Average of the middle 60%: the mean of the prices between the 20th and 80th percentiles. We never publish the plain average, the lowest or the highest price: the extremes in hospital price files are chargemaster artefacts, not prices anyone pays.

What hospitals charge, from cheapest to most expensive

Cash price percentiles, outpatient, across 2,914 hospitals. Each figure is a price a hospital filed. 10th: one in ten hospitals charges less; 25th: a quarter charge less; Median: half charge less; 75th: three quarters charge less; 90th: nine in ten charge less.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$1,164$1,896$3,168$4,745$7,649

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 6.6× what the cheapest tenth charges ($1,164 vs $7,649).

How the prices are spread

$694 – $918: 87 hospitals$694$918 – $1,216: 109 hospitals$1,216 – $1,609: 221 hospitals$1,216$1,609 – $2,131: 317 hospitals$2,131 – $2,821: 396 hospitals$2,131$2,821 – $3,735: 483 hospitals$3,735 – $4,945: 503 hospitals$3,735$4,945 – $6,547: 319 hospitals$6,547 – $8,668: 115 hospitals$6,547$8,668 – $11,476: 88 hospitals$8,668median $3,168price bands are equal on a log scale
Hospitals per price band (2,638 of 2,914 — the bands cover the 5th to 95th percentile)
FromToHospitals
$694$91887
$918$1,216109
$1,216$1,609221
$1,609$2,131317
$2,131$2,821396
$2,821$3,735483
$3,735$4,945503
$4,945$6,547319
$6,547$8,668115
$8,668$11,47688

Against Medicare

Medicare pays (OPPS 2026, national rate)$1,323
Median cash price$3,168
Cash as a multiple of Medicare2.4×

The Medicare figure is the national unadjusted OPPS rate for this code — what Medicare itself pays a hospital before local wage adjustment. It is a benchmark, not a price anyone is charged.

By state

The median cash price in each state, against the national median of $3,168.

Alaska: 7 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureAKMaine: median $1,890 across 23 hospitalsME$1,890Vermont: median $2,528 across 10 hospitalsVT$2,528New Hampshire: median $2,643 across 19 hospitalsNH$2,643Washington: median $2,926 across 54 hospitalsWA$2,926Idaho: median $3,795 across 17 hospitalsID$3,795Montana: median $2,064 across 10 hospitalsMT$2,064North Dakota: median $2,293 across 22 hospitalsND$2,293Minnesota: median $2,449 across 88 hospitalsMN$2,449Illinois: median $3,833 across 117 hospitalsIL$3,833Wisconsin: median $2,655 across 105 hospitalsWI$2,655Michigan: median $3,154 across 79 hospitalsMI$3,154New York: median $1,871 across 103 hospitalsNY$1,871Massachusetts: median $4,111 across 49 hospitalsMA$4,111Oregon: median $3,405 across 35 hospitalsOR$3,405Nevada: median $4,064 across 16 hospitalsNV$4,064Wyoming: median $1,933 across 12 hospitalsWY$1,933South Dakota: median $4,556 across 32 hospitalsSD$4,556Iowa: median $2,801 across 63 hospitalsIA$2,801Indiana: median $3,232 across 82 hospitalsIN$3,232Ohio: median $4,011 across 135 hospitalsOH$4,011Pennsylvania: median $3,619 across 110 hospitalsPA$3,619New Jersey: median $1,537 across 56 hospitalsNJ$1,537Connecticut: median $2,567 across 19 hospitalsCT$2,567Rhode Island: median $1,674 across 10 hospitalsRI$1,674California: median $4,029 across 199 hospitalsCA$4,029Utah: median $3,781 across 37 hospitalsUT$3,781Colorado: median $4,151 across 56 hospitalsCO$4,151Nebraska: median $4,052 across 76 hospitalsNE$4,052Missouri: median $2,472 across 70 hospitalsMO$2,472Kentucky: median $2,736 across 61 hospitalsKY$2,736West Virginia: median $2,848 across 35 hospitalsWV$2,848Virginia: median $3,168 across 68 hospitalsVA$3,168Maryland: median $2,389 across 37 hospitalsMD$2,389Delaware: 6 hospitals filed a usable price — fewer than 10, so no figureDEArizona: median $2,638 across 43 hospitalsAZ$2,638New Mexico: median $2,214 across 22 hospitalsNM$2,214Kansas: median $2,158 across 60 hospitalsKS$2,158Arkansas: median $1,490 across 23 hospitalsAR$1,490Tennessee: median $1,879 across 74 hospitalsTN$1,879North Carolina: median $3,342 across 88 hospitalsNC$3,342South Carolina: median $3,611 across 50 hospitalsSC$3,611Oklahoma: median $2,449 across 46 hospitalsOK$2,449Louisiana: median $1,249 across 44 hospitalsLA$1,249Mississippi: median $1,659 across 38 hospitalsMS$1,659Alabama: median $2,040 across 34 hospitalsAL$2,040Georgia: median $2,485 across 86 hospitalsGA$2,485Hawaii: median $2,786 across 11 hospitalsHI$2,786Texas: median $4,338 across 209 hospitalsTX$4,338Florida: median $5,506 across 168 hospitalsFL$5,506
Cash price by state, most expensive first. National median $3,168. A state needs at least 10 hospitals with a usable price to show a figure.
StateHospitalsMedianvs national20th–80th
Florida FL168$5,506+74%$2,731 – $14,943
South Dakota SD32$4,556+44%$3,481 – $6,093
Texas TX209$4,338+37%$2,204 – $8,442
Colorado CO56$4,151+31%$2,121 – $5,352
Massachusetts MA49$4,111+30%$2,463 – $5,051
Nevada NV16$4,064+28%$3,010 – $5,174
Nebraska NE76$4,052+28%$2,592 – $4,850
California CA199$4,029+27%$1,986 – $6,563
Ohio OH135$4,011+27%$2,760 – $5,777
Illinois IL117$3,833+21%$1,695 – $5,698
Idaho ID17$3,795+20%$2,761 – $4,271
Utah UT37$3,781+19%$3,426 – $4,449
Pennsylvania PA110$3,619+14%$1,530 – $5,510
South Carolina SC50$3,611+14%$2,756 – $5,038
Oregon OR35$3,405+7%$2,496 – $3,818
North Carolina NC88$3,342+5%$2,698 – $5,080
Indiana IN82$3,232+2%$2,124 – $4,942
Virginia VA68$3,1680%$2,161 – $5,660
Michigan MI79$3,1540%$1,780 – $4,499
Washington WA54$2,926−8%$1,981 – $4,008
West Virginia WV35$2,848−10%$1,737 – $4,248
Iowa IA63$2,801−12%$2,046 – $3,753
Hawaii HI11$2,786−12%$2,335 – $3,311
Kentucky KY61$2,736−14%$1,934 – $5,242
Wisconsin WI105$2,655−16%$992 – $3,989
New Hampshire NH19$2,643−17%$2,076 – $6,477
Arizona AZ43$2,638−17%$1,155 – $9,421
Connecticut CT19$2,567−19%$1,112 – $4,187
Vermont VT10$2,528−20%$437 – $4,920
Georgia GA86$2,485−22%$1,741 – $5,897
Missouri MO70$2,472−22%$1,798 – $4,739
Minnesota MN88$2,449−23%$1,402 – $3,132
Oklahoma OK46$2,449−23%$1,613 – $3,319
Maryland MD37$2,389−25%$1,242 – $3,345
North Dakota ND22$2,293−28%$1,950 – $3,412
New Mexico NM22$2,214−30%$1,177 – $3,912
Kansas KS60$2,158−32%$1,480 – $4,160
Montana MT10$2,064−35%$1,026 – $2,538
Alabama AL34$2,040−36%$925 – $4,878
Wyoming WY12$1,933−39%$897 – $3,858
Maine ME23$1,890−40%$1,277 – $3,200
Tennessee TN74$1,879−41%$677 – $4,144
New York NY103$1,871−41%$1,464 – $4,145
Rhode Island RI10$1,674−47%$1,448 – $3,581
Mississippi MS38$1,659−48%$1,236 – $2,126
New Jersey NJ56$1,537−51%$1,073 – $2,567
Arkansas AR23$1,490−53%$783 – $2,078
Louisiana LA44$1,249−61%$757 – $2,843
Alaska AK7not enough hospitals filed a usable price
Delaware DE6not enough hospitals filed a usable price

Hospitals like yours

The same distribution cut by the kind of hospital. Hospital type and ownership come from CMS; a hospital counts as part of a system when its price file is shared with at least one other hospital under the same brand. The national median is $3,168.

Cash price by hospital segment. A segment needs at least 20 hospitals to show a figure.
SegmentHospitalsMedian20th–80th
Hospital type
Acute care2,232$3,240$1,674 – $5,420
Children’s37$3,681$2,224 – $6,276
Critical access636$2,871$1,596 – $4,439
Ownership
For-profit430$4,394$1,882 – $12,122
Government460$2,840$1,534 – $4,254
Non-profit2,015$3,141$1,656 – $5,038
System affiliation
Part of a system2,464$3,257$1,726 – $5,321
Independent450$2,567$1,480 – $4,281

Cash price vs list price

Median list price (chargemaster)$5,322
Median cash price$3,168
Cash as a share of list, median hospital62%

At the typical hospital, asking for the cash price cuts the list price by about 38%. The share is the median of each hospital’s own cash ÷ list ratio, over hospitals that filed both — not the ratio of the two medians above.

The same procedure, inpatient

2,030 hospitals filed a usable inpatient cash price for this code. The median is $3,344 and the average of the middle 60% is $3,402; most fall between $1,837 and $5,241.

Cash price percentiles, inpatient, across 2,030 hospitals. Each figure is a price a hospital filed. 10th: one in ten hospitals charges less; 25th: a quarter charge less; Median: half charge less; 75th: three quarters charge less; 90th: nine in ten charge less.
10th25thMedian75th90th
$1,194$2,061$3,344$4,764$6,450

The most expensive tenth of hospitals charges at least 5.4× what the cheapest tenth charges ($1,194 vs $6,450).

Of the 2,286 hospitals that filed this code inpatient, 2,030 gave a usable cash price; 161 carried a plausibility flag, 0 filed a number their own filing marks as not a price, 0 gave an estimate, and 95 a list price only.

How complete is this

2,914 of the 3,956 hospitals with a price file in our corpus (74%) filed a usable outpatient cash price for this code, and those are the hospitals every figure on this page is computed from.

What the 3,272 hospitals that filed this code at all gave us
Usable cash price — counted2,914
Cash price carrying a plausibility flag — shown on the compare tool, excluded here253
A number the filing itself marks as not a price (a placeholder, a ratio) — excluded0
An estimate rather than a filed cash price — excluded1
A list price only, no cash figure — excluded104
Hospitals that filed this code3,272

Sections not shown for this setting

  • Since our last snapshot: there is no earlier snapshot at least 90 days older than this one yet.

We last checked these hospitals’ price files for changes between September 4, 2026 and September 24, 2026; the figures were computed September 25, 2026 from filings loaded through September 24, 2026. The percentiles and averages use only the “counted” row.

Related procedures

Part of the Radioisotope scan and function studies family.

Hospitals file this code under descriptions such as Myocardial Spect Multiple Studies.

Method

Source
The machine-readable price files every U.S. hospital is required by CMS to publish, parsed per hospital. Nothing is surveyed, sampled or modelled.
What counts
One cash (self-pay) price per hospital for this code and setting. A hospital’s own filing can rule its number out — a placeholder, a “not applicable” note, a list price standing in for cash — and our plausibility checks can flag a price far below what every other hospital files. Both kinds are disclosed above and excluded from the statistics; on the compare tool a flagged price is still shown.
Statistics
Percentiles are discrete: each is a price some hospital filed. The average is the mean of the prices between the 20th and 80th percentiles. We never publish the plain mean, the minimum or the maximum. A state needs 10 hospitals and a segment 20 to show a figure; otherwise the row shows its count and no number. Medicare is the national unadjusted OPPS rate where one exists.
Names
Procedure names on these pages are our own plain-language titles, not the AMA’s copyrighted CPT descriptors. The code is the identity.

The full rules — sources, statistics, thresholds, limitations — are on the methodology page.

Download this page’s figures: JSON · CSV. Aggregates only — the per-hospital prices are on the compare tool.

Cite: HospitalRates.com, “Nuclear heart stress test, multiple images (CPT 78452) — cash price report,” computed September 25, 2026. https://hospitalrates.com/procedures/cpt-78452-nuclear-heart-stress-test-multiple-images