Bone scan cost in San Francisco, CA
In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 12 hospitals list a cash price for Bone scan, whole body (nuclear medicine): from $1,115.20 to $3,382.00, with a median of $2,592.80. The lowest listed price is at Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley — $1,477.60 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,121.60 at 95 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 11 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 Feb 23, 2026 and Jul 22, 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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley lowest Pleasanton, CA Bone Scan Whole Body | $1,115.20 | $2,788.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Hayward Sisters Hospital Hayward, CA NM BONE/JOINT MULTIPLE | $1,441.13 | $4,803.75 | $274.16–$4,083.19 | 70% | Feb 23, 2026 source file |
| Hayward Sisters Hospital Hayward, CA NM BONE SCAN WHOLE BODY | $1,441.13 | $4,803.75 | $274.16–$4,083.19 | 70% | Feb 23, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco South San Francisco, CA BONE &/JOINT IMAGING WHOLE BODY | $2,592.80 | $4,630.00 | $537.00–$1,680.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, CA BONE &/JOINT IMAGING WHOLE BODY | $2,592.80 | $4,630.00 | $537.00–$1,680.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont Fremont, CA BONE &/JOINT IMAGING WHOLE BODY | $2,592.80 | $4,630.00 | $537.00–$1,680.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City Redwood City, CA BONE &/JOINT IMAGING WHOLE BODY | $2,592.80 | $4,630.00 | $537.00–$1,680.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael San Rafael, CA BONE &/JOINT IMAGING WHOLE BODY | $2,592.80 | $4,630.00 | $537.00–$1,680.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch Antioch, CA BONE &/JOINT IMAGING WHOLE BODY | $2,592.80 | $4,630.00 | $537.00–$1,680.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Leandro San Leandro, CA BONE &/JOINT IMAGING WHOLE BODY | $2,592.80 | $4,630.00 | $537.00–$1,680.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco San Francisco, CA BONE &/JOINT IMAGING WHOLE BODY | $2,592.80 | $4,630.00 | $537.00–$1,680.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland/Richmond Oakland, CA BONE &/JOINT IMAGING WHOLE BODY | $2,592.80 | $4,630.00 | $537.00–$1,680.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Chinese Hospital Association San Francisco, CA Nuclear medicine study of bone and/or joint whole body | $3,382.00 | $3,382.00 | $202.29–$6,087.60 | — | Jul 22, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,115.20, median $2,592.80, highest $3,382.00 — a 3.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $2,592.80. 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 2 of 11 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.