Breathing treatment cost in Washington, DC
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 18 hospitals list a cash price for breathing treatment (nebulizer or inhaler) for airway obstruction: from $94.50 to $396.76, with a median of $167.00. The lowest listed price is at Mary Washington Hospital and 1 other hospital — $72.50 less than the median here. Across District of Columbia, the median is $320.06 at 3 hospitals.
- The median here, $167.00, is about the same as the US median of $164.63.
- That is 0.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($223.72).
- 3 of 18 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 18 facilities across 15 cities for code 94640, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 30, 2024 and Sep 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Washington Hospital lowest Fredericksburg, VA · (540) 741-1100 Airway inhalation treatment File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $94.50 | $189.00 | $37.00–$481.00 | 50% |
| Stafford Hospital lowest Stafford, VA · (540) 741-9000 Airway inhalation treatment File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $94.50 | $189.00 | $34.00–$460.00 | 50% |
| Frederick Health Hospital Frederick, MD · (240) 566-3300 MEDICATION ADMIN RESP - OP File of Mar 17, 2025 · source file | $123.73 | $126.26 | $123.73–$126.26 | 2% |
| MedStar Southern Hospital Center Clinton, MD · (301) 868-8000 AIRWAY INHALATION TREATMENT-OP File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $137.36 | $140.16 | $137.36–$140.16 | 2% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Nebulizer Inline Tx Subseq File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $138.00 | $276.00 | — | 50% |
| MedStar Montgomery Medical Center Olney, MD · (301) 774-8882 AIRWAY INHALATION TREATMENT-OP File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $151.17 | $154.26 | $151.17–$154.26 | 2% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Sputum Induction+18 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $158.50 | $317.00 | — | 50% |
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 664-7105 HC INH TX AIR OBST/SPUT IND File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $167.00 | $334.00 | $49.67–$1,030.00 | 50% |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg, VA · (703) 858-6600 HC INH TX AIR OBST/SPUT IND File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $167.00 | $334.00 | $49.67–$1,030.00 | 50% |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Fairfax, VA · (703) 391-4170 HC INH TX AIR OBST/SPUT IND File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $167.00 | $334.00 | $49.67–$1,030.00 | 50% |
| Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church, VA · (703) 698-1110 HC INH TX AIR OBST/SPUT IND File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $167.00 | $334.00 | $49.67–$1,208.00 | 50% |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 504-3167 HC INH TX AIR OBST/SPUT IND File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $167.00 | $334.00 | $49.67–$1,030.00 | 50% |
| Reston Hospital Center Reston, VA · (703) 689-9000 Pressurized or nonpressurized inhalation treatment for acute airway obstruction for therapeutic purposes and/or for diagnostic purposes such as sputum induction with an aerosol generator, nebulizer, m +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $245.68 | $245.68 | $51.26–$174.43 | — |
| Stonesprings Hospital Center Dulles, VA · (571) 349-4000 Pressurized or nonpressurized inhalation treatment for acute airway obstruction for therapeutic purposes and/or for diagnostic purposes such as sputum induction with an aerosol generator, nebulizer, m +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $245.68 | $245.68 | $46.68–$208.83 | — |
| Fauquier Health Warrenton, VA · (540) 316-5000 Pressurized or nonpressurized inhalation treatment for acute airway obstruction for therapeutic purposes and/or for diagnostic purposes such as sputum induction with an aerosol generator, nebulizer, metered dose inhaler or intermittent positive pressure breathing (IPPB) device File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $257.60 | $644.00 | $254.00 | 60% |
| Children's National Hospital Washington, DC · (202) 476-5000 AEROSOL TX+38 more lines at this price File of Apr 2, 2026 · source file | $267.50 | $535.00 | $9.25–$413.49 | 50% |
| MedStar Washington Hospital Center Washington, DC · (202) 877-7000 NEBULIZER TRTMENT+6 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $320.06 | $492.40 | $72.86–$418.54 | 35% |
| MedStar Georgetown Hospital Northwest Washington, DC · (202) 784-3000 SPAG THERAPY VENT+12 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $381.03 | $586.20 | $55.45–$527.58 | 35% |
| Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center Fredericksburg, VA · (540) 498-4000 INH TX AC AWY OBST File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $396.76 | $396.76 | $64.12–$357.08 | — |
| Frederick Health Hospital Frederick, MD · (240) 566-3300 MEDICATION ADMIN PULM - OP File of Mar 17, 2025 · source file | $624.97 | $637.72 | $624.97–$637.72 | 2% |
| Frederick Health Hospital Frederick, MD · (240) 566-3300 MEDICATION ADMIN RESP - IP File of Mar 17, 2025 · source file | $1,484.82 | $1,515.12 | $1,484.82–$1,515.12 | 2% |
| MedStar Southern Hospital Center Clinton, MD · (301) 868-8000 *AIRWAY INHALATION TRTMENT-IP File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,648.30 | $1,681.94 | $1,648.30–$1,681.94 | 2% |
| MedStar Montgomery Medical Center Olney, MD · (301) 774-8882 *AIRWAY INHALATION TRTMENT-IP File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,814.05 | $1,851.07 | $1,814.05–$1,851.07 | 2% |
Outpatient: lowest $94.50, median $167.00, highest $396.76 — a 4.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $167.00. 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 13 of 17 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 breathing treatment is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Breathing treatment explained.