Nuclear stress test cost in Columbia, SC — inpatient
In Columbia, SC, 3 hospitals list a cash price for nuclear stress test imaging (SPECT), rest and stress studies as an inpatient: from $2,130.50 to $3,601.50, with a median of $2,130.50. The lowest listed price is at MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeast and 1 other hospital. Across South Carolina, the median is $3,173.95 at 18 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 cities for code 78452, 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 Columbia, SC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeast lowest Columbia, SC HB MYOCARDIAL PERFUSION SPECT, MULTIPLE STUDIES | $2,130.50 | $4,261.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Musc Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown lowest Columbia, SC · (803) 256-5300 HB MYOCARDIAL PERFUSION SPECT, MULTIPLE STUDIES | $2,130.50 | $4,261.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kershaw Medical Center Camden, SC · (803) 432-4311 HB MYOCARDIAL PERFUSION SPECT, MULTIPLE STUDIES | $3,601.50 | $7,203.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $2,130.50, median $2,130.50, highest $3,601.50 — a 1.7× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $2,130.50 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
What it is
This is the imaging part of a nuclear stress test. A small amount of radioactive tracer is injected, and a special camera takes pictures of blood flow to the heart muscle at rest and after exercise or a stress medicine. It is used to look for blocked heart arteries.
What the price covers
The code covers the camera images and their processing. The radioactive tracer, the stress test itself (with ECG monitoring), any stress medicine and the physician's interpretation are often billed separately.