Bone scan cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 9 hospitals list a cash price for Bone scan, whole body (nuclear medicine): from $511.00 to $3,008.25, with a median of $2,644.40. The lowest listed price is at Paradise Valley Hospital — $2,133.40 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,121.60 at 95 hospitals.
Cash prices at 9 facilities across 6 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 Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA NM BONE/JT IMAG WB | $511.00 | $2,613.25 | $171.95–$2,613.25 | 80% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA BONE &/JOINT IMAGING WHOLE BODY | $2,121.60 | $4,080.00 | $365.00–$1,085.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA BONE &/JOINT IMAGING WHOLE BODY | $2,121.60 | $4,080.00 | $365.00–$1,085.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA BONE &/JOINT IMAGING WHOLE BODY | $2,121.60 | $4,080.00 | $365.00–$1,085.00 | 48% | — source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA Bone And Joint Imaging, Whole Body | $2,644.40 | $4,808.00 | $202.29–$6,490.80 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Grossmont Hospital Corporation La Mesa, CA HC NM BONE IMAGE WHOLE BODY | $3,008.25 | $4,011.00 | $0.17–$3,930.78 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA HC NM BONE IMAGE WHOLE BODY | $3,008.25 | $4,011.00 | $1.15–$3,930.78 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA HC NM BONE IMAGE WHOLE BODY | $3,008.25 | $4,011.00 | $95.52–$3,208.80 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA HC NM BONE IMAGE WHOLE BODY | $3,008.25 | $4,011.00 | $1.15–$3,208.80 | 25% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $511.00, median $2,644.40, highest $3,008.25 — a 5.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $2,826.33. 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 6 of 9 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 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.