Nuclear stress test cost in Des Moines, IA
In Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, 4 hospitals list a cash price for Nuclear stress test imaging (SPECT), rest and stress studies: from $1,032.00 to $6,381.00, with a median of $1,440.00. The lowest listed price is at Central Iowa Hospital Corporation — $408.00 less than the median here. Across Iowa, the median is $1,664.00 at 31 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 3 cities for code 78452, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 28, 2026 and Mar 31, 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Iowa Hospital Corporation lowest Des Moines, IA CHG MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTIPLE STUDIES | $1,032.00 | $1,290.00 | $376.08–$1,506.48 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Central Iowa Hospital Corporation lowest Des Moines, IA CHG MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTIPLE STUDIES | $1,032.00 | $1,290.00 | $376.08–$1,506.48 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Catholic Health Initiatives-Iowa Corp Des Moines, IA PR Myocardial Perfusion Imaging Tomographic Multi Studies at Rest or Stress | $1,216.00 | $1,216.00 | $47.50–$1,216.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Medical Center - Newton Newton, IA PR Myocardial Perfusion Imaging Tomographic Multi Studies at Rest or Stress | $1,664.00 | — | $47.50–$1,664.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Medical Center - Newton Newton, IA HC NM Imaging Myocardial Perfusion Tomographic (Spect) Multiple Studies at Rest or Stress | $2,913.30 | $4,482.00 | $1,225.46–$4,482.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Catholic Health Initiatives-Iowa Corp Des Moines, IA HC NM Imaging Myocardial Perfusion Tomographic (Spect) Multiple Studies at Rest or Stress | $3,688.10 | $5,674.00 | $1,140.47–$5,674.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Central Iowa Hospital Corporation Des Moines, IA HC NM HEART MUSCLE SPECT MULT | $3,943.36 | $4,929.20 | $1,242.83–$3,176.99 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Central Iowa Hospital Corporation Des Moines, IA HC NM HEART MUSCLE SPECT MULT | $3,943.36 | $4,929.20 | $1,257.77–$3,352.67 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Catholic Health Initiatives-Iowa Corp West Des Moines, IA HC NM Imaging Myocardial Perfusion Tomographic (Spect) Multiple Studies at Rest or Stress | $6,381.00 | $6,381.00 | $1,222.00–$6,381.00 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,032.00, median $1,440.00, highest $6,381.00 — a 6.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $1,216.00. 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 1 of 4 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
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.