Peripheral bone density scan cost in Des Moines, IA
In Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, 2 hospitals list a cash price for DEXA bone density scan of the wrist, heel or finger (peripheral): from $82.40 to $87.00, with a median of $84.70. The lowest listed price is at UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi — $2.30 less than the median here. Across Iowa, the median is $124.00 at 27 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 77081, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 28, 2026 and Mar 31, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi lowest Des Moines, IA · (515) 343-1000 PR DEXA,BONE DENSITY,APPENDICULR SKELTN | $82.40 | $103.00 | $28.62–$83.10 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi lowest Des Moines, IA · (515) 343-1000 PR DEXA,BONE DENSITY,APPENDICULR SKELTN | $82.40 | $103.00 | $28.62–$83.10 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines, IA · (515) 247-4436 PR Dexa Bone Density Study >=1 Sites Appendicular Skeleton (Peripheral) | $87.00 | $87.00 | $5.96–$87.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines, IA · (515) 247-4436 HC Dexa Bone Density Study >=1 Sites Appendicular Skeleton (Peripheral) | $180.70 | $278.00 | $55.88–$278.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi Des Moines, IA · (515) 343-1000 HC MM DXA BONE DENSITY/PERIPHERAL 1+ SITES | $305.54 | $381.92 | $83.82–$214.27 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi Des Moines, IA · (515) 343-1000 HC MM DXA BONE DENSITY/PERIPHERAL 1+ SITES | $305.54 | $381.92 | $84.83–$226.11 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center Des Moines, IA · (515) 247-4436 HC Dexa Bone Density Study >=1 Sites Appendicular Skeleton (Peripheral) | $654.00 | — | $19.89–$49.30 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $82.40, median $84.70, highest $87.00 — a 1.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $84.70. 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 1 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 code covers a bone density test of the wrist, heel or finger, used for screening when a hip and spine scan is not available.
What the price covers
The price covers the scan and the reading.