Peripheral bone density scan cost in Cincinnati, OH
In Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN, 14 hospitals list a cash price for DEXA bone density scan of the wrist, heel or finger (peripheral): from $132.00 to $844.80, with a median of $256.80. The lowest listed price is at Fort Hamilton Hospital — $124.80 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $256.80 at 115 hospitals.
- The median here, $256.80, is 33% above the US median of $192.36.
- That is 2.9× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($88.91).
- Cincinnati, OH ranks 3rd of 4 metro areas in Ohio by median, cheapest first.
- 2 of 14 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 14 facilities across 8 cities for code 77081, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Jul 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 Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Hamilton Hospital lowest Hamilton, OH · (513) 867-2123 Hc Bone Density Dexa Appendicular Skeleton File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $132.00 | $330.00 | — | 60% |
| Bethesda North Cincinnati, OH · (513) 865-1111 HC Dexa Appendicular Skeleton File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $195.00 | $260.00 | — | 25% |
| McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital Oxford, OH · (513) 523-2111 HC Dexa Appendicular Skeleton File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $195.00 | $260.00 | — | 25% |
| The Good Samaritan Hospital of Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati, OH · (513) 862-2601 HC Dexa Appendicular Skeleton File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $195.00 | $260.00 | — | 25% |
| Mercy Health Clermont Hospital Batavia, OH · (513) 732-8278 HC Dexa Appendicular Skeleton File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $256.80 | $428.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health West Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 215-5000 HC Dexa Appendicular Skeleton File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $256.80 | $428.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Fairfield Hospital Fairfield, OH · (513) 870-7000 HC Dexa Appendicular Skeleton File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $256.80 | $428.00 | — | 40% |
| Mercy Health Anderson Hospital Cincinnati, OH · (513) 624-4500 HC Dexa Appendicular Skeleton File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $256.80 | $428.00 | — | 40% |
| The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health Cincinnati, OH · (513) 686-3000 HC Dexa Appendicular Skeleton File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $256.80 | $428.00 | — | 40% |
| Children's Hospital Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 636-3333 Hb Dexa Scan Of Appendicular Skeleton (Peripheral) File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $330.48 | $648.00 | $15.03–$648.00 | 49% |
| St Elizabeth Edgewood Edgewood, KY · (859) 301-2000 HB DXA 1 OR MORE SITES APPND SKL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $353.56 | $353.56 | — | — |
| Atrium Medical Center Middletown, OH · (513) 420-5102 HC DEXA SCAN PERIPHERAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $517.00 | $517.00 | — | — |
| University of Cincinnati Medical Center Cincinnati, OH · (513) 584-1000 Hc Dxa Scan Peripheral File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $844.80 | $1,408.00 | — | 40% |
| West Chester Hospital West Chester, OH · (513) 298-7701 Hc Dxa Scan Peripheral File of Jul 1, 2026 · source file | $844.80 | $1,408.00 | — | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $132.00, median $256.80, highest $844.80 — a 6.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $353.56. 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 the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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 peripheral bone density scan is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Peripheral bone density scan explained.