HIDA scan cost in Lexington, KY
In Lexington-Fayette, KY, 2 hospitals list a cash price for HIDA scan: nuclear imaging of the liver, bile ducts and gallbladder: from $1,113.28 to $4,045.72, with a median of $2,579.50. The lowest listed price is at University of Kentucky Hospital — $1,466.22 less than the median here. Across Kentucky, the median is $3,389.96 at 14 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 78226, 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 Sep 17, 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 Lexington-Fayette, KY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Kentucky Hospital lowest Lexington, KY · (859) 257-2278 Hc Hepatobiliary Syst Imaging Including Gallbladder - Nm Liver Function | $1,113.28 | $2,783.20 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Lexington Lexington, KY · (859) 260-6100 Nuclear medicine study of liver and bile duct system | $4,045.72 | $5,394.29 | $485.49–$10,966.59 | 25% | Sep 17, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,113.28, median $2,579.50, highest $4,045.72 — a 3.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 1 facility here, median $1,113.28. 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 it is
A HIDA scan follows a radioactive tracer as the liver takes it up and releases it into the bile ducts, gallbladder and bowel. It is used to look for gallbladder inflammation, a blocked bile duct or a bile leak.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the imaging. The tracer and the reading by a radiologist or nuclear medicine doctor are often billed separately. A scan that also measures how well the gallbladder empties after a medicine is given is billed under a different code (78227).