Nuclear stress test cost in Milwaukee, WI
In Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI, 16 hospitals list a cash price for nuclear stress test imaging (SPECT), rest and stress studies: from $963.74 to $5,144.71, with a median of $4,420.20. The lowest listed price is at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin — $3,456.46 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $2,485.91 at 67 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 9 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 Nov 21, 2025 and Mar 23, 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC NM CARDIAC EXERCISE | $963.74 | $1,752.25 | $1,226.58–$1,664.64 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC NM CARDIAC EXERCISE | $963.74 | $1,752.25 | $1,226.58–$1,664.64 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Summit Summit, WI · (262) 434-1600 NM MYO PERF SPECT MULTIPLE | $2,700.00 | $5,400.00 | $2,010.00–$4,590.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora West Allis Medical Center West Allis, WI · (414) 328-6000 NM MYO PERF SPECT MULTIPLE | $2,715.00 | $5,430.00 | $2,010.00–$4,615.50 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Institute Mequon, WI HC MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTIPLE STUDIES | $2,828.08 | $5,336.00 | $125.05–$2,938.37 | 47% | — source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Grafton Grafton, WI · (262) 329-1000 NM MYO PERF SPECT MULTIPLE | $3,765.00 | $7,530.00 | $2,010.00–$6,400.50 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Kenosha Kenosha, WI · (262) 948-5600 NM MYO PERF SPECT MULTIPLE | $3,790.00 | $7,580.00 | $2,010.00–$6,443.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Washington County Hartford, WI · (262) 673-2300 NM MYO PERF SPECT MULTIPLE | $3,975.00 | $7,950.00 | $2,010.00–$6,757.50 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Ascension St. Francis Hospital Milwaukee, WI · (414) 647-5000 HC MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTIPLE STUDIES | $4,420.20 | $8,340.00 | $270.07–$2,938.37 | 47% | — source file |
| Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare - Southeast Wisconsin Franklin, WI HC MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTIPLE STUDIES | $4,420.20 | $8,340.00 | $270.07–$2,938.37 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital Franklin, WI HC MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTIPLE STUDIES | $4,420.20 | $8,340.00 | $270.07–$2,938.37 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital Milwaukee, WI · (414) 447-2130 HC MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTIPLE STUDIES | $4,420.20 | $8,340.00 | $270.07–$2,938.37 | 47% | — source file |
| Aurora Sinai Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI NM MYO PERF SPECT MULTIPLE | $4,480.00 | $8,960.00 | $2,010.00–$7,616.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI · (414) 649-6000 NM MYO PERF SPECT MULTIPLE | $4,480.00 | $8,960.00 | $2,010.00–$7,616.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes South Shore of Aurora Health Care Metro Cudahy, WI NM MYO PERF SPECT MULTIPLE | $4,480.00 | $8,960.00 | $2,010.00–$7,616.00 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Ozaukee Mequon, WI HC MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTIPLE STUDIES | $5,144.71 | $9,707.00 | $125.05–$2,938.37 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI · (414) 585-1374 HC MYOCARDIAL SPECT MULTIPLE STUDIES | $5,144.71 | $9,707.00 | $125.05–$2,938.37 | 47% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $963.74, median $4,420.20, highest $5,144.71 — a 5.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 9 facilities here, median $3,790.00. 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 10 of 16 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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.