Nuclear stress test cost in Madison, WI
In Madison, WI, 2 hospitals list a cash price for nuclear stress test imaging (SPECT), rest and stress studies: from $693.55 to $2,063.20, with a median of $1,378.38. The lowest listed price is at Aspirus Divine Savior Hospital — $684.83 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $2,485.91 at 67 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 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 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 Madison, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspirus Divine Savior Hospital lowest Portage, WI · (608) 742-4131 Pro Myocardial Spect Multiple Studies | $693.55 | $1,067.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UnityPoint Health - Meriter Madison, WI · (608) 417-6210 CHG MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTIPLE STUDIES | $2,063.20 | $2,579.00 | $391.10–$2,450.05 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Aspirus Divine Savior Hospital Portage, WI · (608) 742-4131 Myocardial Perf Spect Mult | $3,089.45 | $4,753.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Aspirus Divine Savior Hospital Portage, WI · (608) 742-4131 MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTIPLE STUDIES | $3,783.00 | $5,820.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UnityPoint Health - Meriter Madison, WI · (608) 417-6210 HC NM HEART MUSCLE SPECT MULT | $5,040.51 | $6,300.63 | $1,260.99–$5,985.60 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $693.55, median $1,378.38, highest $2,063.20 — a 3.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $1,378.38. 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 the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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.