Thyroid or neck ultrasound cost in Iowa City, IA
In Iowa City, IA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for ultrasound of the soft tissues of the head and neck, such as the thyroid: from $353.25 to $775.60, with a median of $564.43. The lowest listed price is at Washington County Hospital — $211.18 less than the median here. Across Iowa, the median is $464.96 at 76 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 76536, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 11, 2026 and Sep 8, 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 Iowa City, IA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County Hospital lowest Washington, IA · (319) 653-5481 Ultrasound scan of head and neck soft tissue | $353.25 | $471.00 | $59.00–$447.45 | 25% | Sep 8, 2026 source file |
| State University of Iowa Iowa City, IA · (319) 356-1616 HB ULTRASOUND, SOFT TISSUES OF HEAD AND NECK(THYROID) | $775.60 | $1,108.00 | $100.50–$1,019.36 | 30% | Mar 11, 2026 source file |
| State University of Iowa Iowa City, IA · (319) 356-1616 HB ULTRASOUND, SOFT TISSUES OF HEAD AND NECK(THYROID) | $775.60 | $1,108.00 | $100.50–$1,019.36 | 30% | Mar 11, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $353.25, median $564.43, highest $775.60 — a 2.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $775.60. 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 2 of 2 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 ultrasound looks at the soft tissues of the neck and head, most often the thyroid, as well as salivary glands and lymph nodes. It is ordered for a lump or swelling in the neck, thyroid nodules or an abnormal thyroid test.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the exam itself. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately, and a needle biopsy of a nodule is billed under different codes.