Nuclear stress test cost in Houston, TX — inpatient
In Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 12 hospitals list a cash price for Nuclear stress test imaging (SPECT), rest and stress studies as an inpatient: from $1,252.69 to $8,153.00, with a median of $8,153.00. The lowest listed price is at Harris Health and 1 other hospital — $6,900.31 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $4,279.95 at 92 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 8 cities for code 78452, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 5, 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris Health lowest Taub Loop Houston, TX MYOCARDIAL PERFUSION SCAN TOMOGRAM MULTI | $1,252.69 | $4,349.00 | $180.00–$2,826.85 | 71% | — source file |
| Harris Health lowest Houston, TX MYOCARDIAL PERFUSION SCAN TOMOGRAM MULTI | $1,252.69 | $4,349.00 | $180.00–$2,826.85 | 71% | — source file |
| Texas Children's Hospital Houston, TX TC MYOCARD TOMOGRAPH (SPECT), MULT STUDY | $3,092.72 | $4,616.00 | $1,846.40–$4,385.20 | 33% | Mar 5, 2026 source file |
| Texas Children's Hospital Houston, TX TC MYOCARD TOMOGRAPH (SPECT), MULT STUDY | $3,092.72 | $4,616.00 | $1,846.40–$4,385.20 | 33% | Mar 5, 2026 source file |
| Texas Children's Hospital Houston, TX TC MYOCARD TOMOGRAPH (SPECT), MULT STUDY | $3,092.72 | $4,616.00 | $1,846.40–$4,385.20 | 33% | Mar 5, 2026 source file |
| The Methodist Hospital Houston, TX HC MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTI | $6,875.50 | $13,751.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Houston Methodist Cypress Hospital Cypress, TX HC MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTI | $8,153.00 | $16,306.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital The Woodlands, TX HC MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTI | $8,153.00 | $16,306.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Methodist Sugar Land Hospital Sugar Land, TX HC MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTI | $8,153.00 | $16,306.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital Baytown, TX HC MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTI | $8,153.00 | $16,306.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Methodist Willowbrook Hospital Houston, TX HC MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTI | $8,153.00 | $16,306.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Houston Methodist Continuing Care Hospital Katy, TX HC MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTI | $8,153.00 | $16,306.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital Nassau Bay, TX HC MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTI | $8,153.00 | $16,306.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Methodist West Houston Hospital Houston, TX HC MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTI | $8,153.00 | $16,306.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $1,252.69, median $8,153.00, highest $8,153.00 — a 6.5× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $8,153.00 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 3 of 3 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.