Bone scan cost in New Orleans, LA
In New Orleans-Metairie, LA, 8 hospitals list a cash price for Bone scan, whole body (nuclear medicine): from $349.72 to $956.07, with a median of $549.78. The lowest listed price is at Touro Infirmary — $200.06 less than the median here. Across Louisiana, the median is $549.78 at 12 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 facilities across 3 cities for code 78306, 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 Bone and/or Joint Imaging Whole Body | $349.72 | $2,498.00 | $1,124.10–$999.20 | 86% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| New Orleans East Hospital New Orleans, LA Bone and/or Joint Imaging Whole Body | $391.20 | $2,445.00 | $1,100.25–$824.45 | 84% | Jun 24, 2026 source file |
| University Med Center New Orleans, LA Bone and/or Joint Imaging Whole Body | $417.12 | $1,896.00 | $1,073.14–$929.98 | 78% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| East Jefferson General Hospital Metairie, LA Bone and/or Joint Imaging Whole Body | $549.78 | $3,927.00 | $1,060.29–$981.75 | 86% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| Lakeside Hospital Metairie, LA Bone and/or Joint Imaging Whole Body | $549.78 | $3,927.00 | $1,060.29–$981.75 | 86% | Jul 1, 2026 source file |
| Tulane Medical Center New Orleans, LA Bone and/or Joint Imaging Whole Body | $549.78 | $3,927.00 | $1,060.29–$981.75 | 86% | Jun 25, 2026 source file |
| West Jefferson Medical Center Marrero, LA Bone and/or Joint Imaging Whole Body | $607.20 | $3,795.00 | $1,138.50–$886.66 | 84% | Jun 30, 2026 source file |
| Childrens Hospital New Orleans, LA Bone and/or Joint Imaging Whole Body | $956.07 | $3,541.00 | $1,002.46–$829.28 | 73% | Jun 24, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $349.72, median $549.78, highest $956.07 — a 2.7× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 7 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 whole-body bone scan uses a small amount of radioactive tracer to find areas of increased bone activity, such as cancer spread, stress fractures and infections.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the tracer and the scan. The reading may be billed separately.