Peripheral bone density scan cost in Milwaukee, WI
In Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI, 13 hospitals list a cash price for DEXA bone density scan of the wrist, heel or finger (peripheral): from $134.62 to $436.70, with a median of $270.00. The lowest listed price is at Ascension St. Francis Hospital and 2 other hospitals — $135.38 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $154.70 at 70 hospitals.
Cash prices at 13 facilities across 8 cities 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 Nov 21, 2025 and Mar 23, 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension St. Francis Hospital lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 647-5000 HC DXA BONE DENSITY/PERIPHERAL | $134.62 | $254.00 | $37.33–$204.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital lowest Franklin, WI HC DXA BONE DENSITY/PERIPHERAL | $134.62 | $254.00 | $37.33–$204.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital lowest Franklin, WI HC DXA BONE DENSITY/PERIPHERAL | $134.62 | $254.00 | $37.33–$204.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 447-2130 HC DXA BONE DENSITY/PERIPHERAL | $134.62 | $254.00 | $37.33–$204.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 447-2130 HC DXA BONE DENSITY/PERIPHERAL | $134.62 | $254.00 | $37.33–$204.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension St. Francis Hospital lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 647-5000 HC DXA BONE DENSITY/PERIPHERAL | $134.62 | $254.00 | $37.33–$204.00 | 47% | — source file |
| Aurora West Allis Medical Center West Allis, WI · (414) 328-6000 DXA APPENDICULAR SKELETON | $270.00 | $540.00 | $200.00–$460.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Grafton Grafton, WI · (262) 329-1000 DXA APPENDICULAR SKELETON | $270.00 | $540.00 | $200.00–$460.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Kenosha Kenosha, WI · (262) 948-5600 DXA APPENDICULAR SKELETON | $270.00 | $540.00 | $200.00–$460.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Sinai Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI DXA APPENDICULAR SKELETON | $270.00 | $540.00 | $200.00–$460.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI · (414) 649-6000 DXA APPENDICULAR SKELETON | $270.00 | $540.00 | $200.00–$460.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes South Shore of Aurora Health Care Metro Cudahy, WI DXA APPENDICULAR SKELETON | $270.00 | $540.00 | $200.00–$460.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Summit Summit, WI · (262) 434-1600 DXA APPENDICULAR SKELETON | $270.00 | $540.00 | $200.00–$460.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Ozaukee Mequon, WI HC DXA BONE DENSITY/PERIPHERAL | $313.23 | $591.00 | $16.08–$182.03 | 47% | — source file |
| Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Institute Mequon, WI HC DXA BONE DENSITY/PERIPHERAL | $313.23 | $591.00 | $16.08–$182.03 | 47% | — source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC NM BONE DENSITY APPENDICULAR | $436.70 | $794.00 | $555.80–$754.30 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC NM BONE DENSITY APPENDICULAR | $436.70 | $794.00 | $555.80–$754.30 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $134.62, median $270.00, highest $436.70 — a 3.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $270.00. 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 11 of 13 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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.