Peripheral bone density scan cost in Washington, DC
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 6 hospitals list a cash price for DEXA bone density scan of the wrist, heel or finger (peripheral): from $269.00 to $331.50, with a median of $269.00. The lowest listed price is at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital and 4 other hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 5 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital lowest Alexandria, VA · (703) 664-7105 HC DXA 1+ SITES APPNDCLR SKELETON | $269.00 | $538.00 | $88.05–$419.64 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Fairfax Hospital lowest Falls Church, VA · (703) 698-1110 HC DXA 1+ SITES APPNDCLR SKELETON | $269.00 | $538.00 | $88.05–$419.64 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital lowest Leesburg, VA · (703) 858-6600 HC DXA 1+ SITES APPNDCLR SKELETON | $269.00 | $538.00 | $88.05–$419.64 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital lowest Fairfax, VA · (703) 391-4170 HC DXA 1+ SITES APPNDCLR SKELETON | $269.00 | $538.00 | $88.05–$419.64 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital lowest Alexandria, VA · (703) 504-3167 HC DXA 1+ SITES APPNDCLR SKELETON | $269.00 | $538.00 | $88.05–$419.64 | 50% | — source file |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chg - Bone Density Study-Peripheral | $331.50 | $663.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgr-Bone Density Study-Peripheral | $331.50 | $663.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $269.00, median $269.00, highest $331.50 — a 1.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $269.00. 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 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 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.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 77081 ($188.40). 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, WVDXA BONE DENSITY APPENDICULR | $10.50 | file |