Peripheral bone density scan cost in Columbus, OH
In Columbus, OH, 17 hospitals list a cash price for DEXA bone density scan of the wrist, heel or finger (peripheral): from $126.23 to $342.55, with a median of $194.35. The lowest listed price is at Morrow County Hospital — $68.12 less than the median here. Across Ohio, the median is $256.80 at 115 hospitals.
- The median here, $194.35, is about the same as the US median of $192.36.
- That is 2.2× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($88.91).
- Columbus, OH ranks 2nd of 4 metro areas in Ohio by median, cheapest first.
- 1 of 17 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 17 facilities across 11 cities for code 77081, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Oct 22, 2025 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 Columbus, OH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morrow County Hospital lowest Mount Gilead, OH · (419) 946-5015 DXA bone density measurement of forearm, finger, hand, or foot File of Oct 22, 2025 · source file | $126.23 | $194.20 | $71.85–$188.37 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel East Columbus, OH · (614) 234-5000 HC Dexa Bone Density Study >=1 Sites Appendicular Skeleton (Peripheral) File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $157.95 | $243.00 | $72.38–$632.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel St Ann's Westerville, OH · (614) 546-4034 HC Dexa Bone Density Study >=1 Sites Appendicular Skeleton (Peripheral) File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $157.95 | $243.00 | $73.77–$632.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel Dublin Dublin, OH · (380) 898-9000 HC Dexa Bone Density Study >=1 Sites Appendicular Skeleton (Peripheral) File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $157.95 | $243.00 | $73.77–$324.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel New Albany Surgical Hospital New Albany, OH · (614) 775-6600 HC Dexa Bone Density Study >=1 Sites Appendicular Skeleton (Peripheral) File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $157.95 | $243.00 | $73.77–$632.00 | 35% |
| Diley Ridge Medical Center Canal Winchester, OH · (614) 838-7911 HC Dexa Bone Density Study >=1 Sites Appendicular Skeleton (Peripheral) File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $157.95 | $243.00 | $73.77–$632.00 | 35% |
| Mount Carmel Grove City Grove City, OH HC Dexa Bone Density Study >=1 Sites Appendicular Skeleton (Peripheral) File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $157.95 | $243.00 | $72.38–$632.00 | 35% |
| Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 722-2000 DXA BONE DENSITY, 1 OR MORE SITES, PERIPHERAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $180.00 | $200.00 | $130.00–$196.00 | 10% |
| Grady Memorial Hospital Delaware, OH · (740) 368-5145 Hc Bone Density Dexa Appendicular File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $194.35 | $299.00 | — | 35% |
| Pickerington Methodist Hospital Pickerington, OH · (614) 544-2136 Hc Bone Density Dexa Appendicular File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $203.45 | $313.00 | — | 35% |
| Doctors Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 544-2136 Hc Bone Density Dexa Appendicular File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $203.45 | $313.00 | — | 35% |
| Grant Medical Center Columbus, OH · (614) 566-9164 Hc Bone Density Dexa Appendicular File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $203.45 | $313.00 | — | 35% |
| Grove City Methodist Grove City, OH · (614) 544-2136 Hc Bone Density Dexa Appendicular File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $203.45 | $313.00 | — | 35% |
| Dublin Methodist Hospital Dublin, OH · (614) 544-8000 Hc Bone Density Dexa Appendicular File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $203.45 | $313.00 | — | 35% |
| Riverside Methodist Hospital Columbus, OH · (614) 566-5000 Hc Bone Density Dexa Appendicular File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $203.45 | $313.00 | — | 35% |
| Licking Memorial Hospital Newark, OH · (740) 348-4000 HC DXA Bone Density/Peripheral - Radius / Wrist / Heel File of Mar 16, 2026 · source file | $254.95 | $254.95 | $82.23–$254.95 | — |
| Berger Hospital Circleville, OH · (740) 420-8008 Hc Bone Density Dexa Appendicular File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $342.55 | $527.00 | — | 35% |
Outpatient: lowest $126.23, median $194.35, highest $342.55 — a 2.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $198.90. 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 8 of 9 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 peripheral bone density scan is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Peripheral bone density scan explained.