Chest CT, with/without dye cost in Des Moines, IA
In Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, 8 hospitals list a cash price for chest CT scan without and with contrast: from $1,942.00 to $5,747.00, with a median of $2,256.15. The lowest listed price is at Dallas County Hospital — $314.15 less than the median here. Across Iowa, the median is $1,942.00 at 75 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 6 cities for code 71270, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 28, 2026 and Sep 26, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas County Hospital lowest Perry, IA · (515) 465-3547 CT CHEST WO/W BY CONTR FOLLWD- PER PROTO | $1,942.00 | $2,988.00 | $177.38–$2,539.80 | 35% | — source file |
| Broadlawns Medical Center Des Moines, IA · (515) 282-2200 Ct Thorax W/O & W/Dye | $2,059.00 | $2,059.00 | — | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Madison County Memorial Hospital Winterset, IA · (515) 462-2373 CT scan of chest before and after contrast | $2,248.80 | $2,811.00 | $1,042.22–$2,811.00 | 20% | Sep 23, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Newton Medical Center Newton, IA · (641) 792-1273 HC CT Thorax Diagnostic W/O & W/Contrast | $2,252.90 | $3,466.00 | $166.03–$3,466.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines, IA · (515) 247-4436 HC CT Thorax Diagnostic W/O & W/Contrast | $2,259.40 | $3,476.00 | $165.56–$3,476.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Guthrie County Hospital Guthrie Center, IA · (641) 747-2201 CT scan of chest before and after contrast | $2,347.00 | $2,347.00 | $1,042.22–$2,159.24 | — | Sep 26, 2026 source file |
| UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medical Des Moines, IA · (515) 343-1000 HC CT CHEST W WO CONTRAST DIAG | $3,158.05 | $3,947.56 | $171.51–$1,709.29 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medical Des Moines, IA · (515) 343-1000 HC CT CHEST W WO CONTRAST DIAG | $3,158.05 | $3,947.56 | $169.48–$1,709.29 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center West Des Moines, IA HC CT Thorax Diagnostic W/O & W/Contrast | $5,747.00 | $5,747.00 | $165.56–$5,747.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,942.00, median $2,256.15, highest $5,747.00 — a 3.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $2,256.15. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 4 of 7 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
This chest CT takes pictures before and after contrast dye. It is used for some lung and chest wall masses and blood vessel problems that a single scan cannot explain.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the scan and any contrast dye. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.