Nuclear stress test cost in Washington, DC — inpatient
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 6 hospitals list a cash price for nuclear stress test imaging (SPECT), rest and stress studies as an inpatient: from $3,168.00 to $3,728.50, with a median of $3,728.50. The lowest listed price is at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center — $560.50 less than the median here.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 5 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center lowest Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chgr-Myo Rest / Stress Multiple Spect | $3,168.00 | $6,336.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center lowest Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Chg - Myocrdial Perfusion Imaging,T | $3,168.00 | $6,336.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church, VA · (703) 698-1110 HC CARDIAC PERF SPECT MULT/EF/WM RST/STRS | $3,728.50 | $7,457.00 | $1,305.48–$5,816.46 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 504-3167 HC CARDIAC PERF SPECT MULT/EF/WM RST/STRS | $3,728.50 | $7,457.00 | $1,305.48–$5,816.46 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 664-7105 HC CARDIAC PERF SPECT MULT/EF/WM RST/STRS | $3,728.50 | $7,457.00 | $1,305.48–$5,816.46 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg, VA · (703) 858-6600 HC CARDIAC PERF SPECT MULT/EF/WM RST/STRS | $3,728.50 | $7,457.00 | $1,305.48–$5,816.46 | 50% | — source file |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Fairfax, VA · (703) 391-4170 HC CARDIAC PERF SPECT MULT/EF/WM RST/STRS | $3,728.50 | $7,457.00 | $1,305.48–$5,816.46 | 50% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $3,168.00, median $3,728.50, highest $3,728.50 — a 1.2× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $3,728.50 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 5 of 5 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.