HIDA scan cost in Washington, DC — inpatient
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 6 hospitals list a cash price for HIDA scan: nuclear imaging of the liver, bile ducts and gallbladder as an inpatient: from $1,122.00 to $1,135.50, with a median of $1,135.50. The lowest listed price is at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center — $13.50 less than the median here.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 5 cities for code 78226, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center lowest Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgr-Hepatobiliary Scan | $1,122.00 | $2,244.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Fairfax, VA · (703) 391-4170 HC HEPATOBILIARY SYSTEM IMAGING | $1,135.50 | $2,271.00 | $401.83–$1,771.38 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church, VA · (703) 698-1110 HC HEPATOBILIARY SYSTEM IMAGING | $1,135.50 | $2,271.00 | $401.83–$1,771.38 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg, VA · (703) 858-6600 HC HEPATOBILIARY SYSTEM IMAGING | $1,135.50 | $2,271.00 | $401.83–$1,771.38 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 664-7105 HC HEPATOBILIARY SYSTEM IMAGING | $1,135.50 | $2,271.00 | $401.83–$1,771.38 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 504-3167 HC HEPATOBILIARY SYSTEM IMAGING | $1,135.50 | $2,271.00 | $401.83–$1,771.38 | 50% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $1,122.00, median $1,135.50, highest $1,135.50.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $1,135.50 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
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
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).