Thyroid or neck ultrasound cost in Washington, DC
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 6 hospitals list a cash price for ultrasound of the soft tissues of the head and neck, such as the thyroid: from $588.50 to $640.50, with a median of $640.50. The lowest listed price is at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center — $52.00 less than the median here.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 5 cities for code 76536, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 1, 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center lowest Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Us Neck | $588.50 | $1,177.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center lowest Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Ultrasound Thyroid/Soft Tissu | $588.50 | $1,177.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center lowest Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chg - Us Exam Of Head And Neck | $588.50 | $1,177.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center lowest Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chg - Ultrasound Thyroid/Soft Tissu | $588.50 | $1,177.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 504-3167 HC US HEAD/NECK W/IMAGE DOC | $640.50 | $1,281.00 | $106.34–$999.18 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 664-7105 HC US HEAD/NECK W/IMAGE DOC | $640.50 | $1,281.00 | $106.34–$999.18 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Fairfax, VA · (703) 391-4170 HC US HEAD/NECK W/IMAGE DOC | $640.50 | $1,281.00 | $106.34–$999.18 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church, VA · (703) 698-1110 HC US HEAD/NECK W/IMAGE DOC | $640.50 | $1,281.00 | $106.34–$999.18 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg, VA · (703) 858-6600 HC US HEAD/NECK W/IMAGE DOC | $640.50 | $1,281.00 | $106.34–$999.18 | 50% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $588.50, median $640.50, highest $640.50 — a 1.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $640.50. 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 5 of 5 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.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 76536 ($474.44). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Jefferson Medical Center Ranson, WVUS EXAM OF HEAD AND NECK | $29.50 | file |