HIDA scan cost in New Orleans, LA
In New Orleans-Metairie, LA, 8 hospitals list a cash price for HIDA scan: nuclear imaging of the liver, bile ducts and gallbladder: from $292.32 to $583.36, with a median of $377.58. The lowest listed price is at Touro Infirmary — $85.26 less than the median here. Across Louisiana, the median is $378.46 at 12 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 3 cities 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 Jun 24, 2026 and Jul 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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Touro Infirmary lowest New Orleans, LA · (504) 897-8247 Imaging of Liver and Bile Duct System | $292.32 | $2,088.00 | $1,062.79–$939.60 | 86% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| New Orleans East Hospital New Orleans, LA · (504) 592-6600 Imaging of Liver and Bile Duct System | $375.84 | $2,349.00 | $1,057.05–$816.78 | 84% | Jun 24, 2026 source file |
| Tulane Medical Center New Orleans, LA Imaging of Liver and Bile Duct System | $377.58 | $2,697.00 | $1,321.53–$862.93 | 86% | Jun 25, 2026 source file |
| East Jefferson General Hospital Metairie, LA · (504) 988-5263 Imaging of Liver and Bile Duct System | $377.58 | $2,697.00 | $1,321.53–$862.93 | 86% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| Lakeside Hospital Metairie, LA Imaging of Liver and Bile Duct System | $377.58 | $2,697.00 | $1,321.53–$862.93 | 86% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| University Med Center New Orleans, LA · (504) 702-3000 Imaging of Liver and Bile Duct System | $500.50 | $2,275.00 | $1,287.65–$929.98 | 78% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| Childrens Hospital New Orleans, LA · (504) 899-9511 Imaging of Liver and Bile Duct System | $510.30 | $1,890.00 | $1,205.82–$953.78 | 73% | Jun 24, 2026 source file |
| West Jefferson Medical Center Marrero, LA · (504) 347-5511 Imaging of Liver and Bile Duct System | $583.36 | $3,646.00 | $1,010.33–$718.92 | 84% | Jun 30, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $292.32, median $377.58, highest $583.36 — a 2.0× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 8 of 8 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 8 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
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).