Nutrition counseling cost in Washington, DC
In Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 15 hospitals list a cash price for nutrition counseling (medical nutrition therapy), first visit, 15 minutes: from $22.50 to $265.31, with a median of $39.50. The lowest listed price is at Mary Washington Hospital and 1 other hospital — $17.00 less than the median here. Across District of Columbia, the median is $68.66 at 4 hospitals.
- The median here, $39.50, is 24% below the US median of $52.20.
- That is 1.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($36.74).
- 1 of 15 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 11 cities for code 97802, 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 Medical nutrition indiv in File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $22.50 | $45.00 | $31.00–$848.00 | 50% |
| Stafford Hospital lowest Stafford, VA · (540) 741-9000 Medical nutrition indiv in File of Dec 30, 2024 · source file | $22.50 | $45.00 | $31.00–$848.00 | 50% |
| Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge, VA · (703) 523-1000 Mnt Initial 15 Min+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $26.00 | $52.00 | — | 50% |
| Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Fairfax, VA · (703) 391-4170 HC MNT 1ST ASS&IVNT IND EA 15 MIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $39.50 | $79.00 | $35.08–$326.76 | 50% |
| Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 664-7105 HC MNT 1ST ASS&IVNT IND EA 15 MIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $39.50 | $79.00 | $35.08–$326.76 | 50% |
| Inova Alexandria Hospital Alexandria, VA · (703) 504-3167 HC MNT 1ST ASS&IVNT IND EA 15 MIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $39.50 | $79.00 | $35.08–$326.76 | 50% |
| Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church, VA · (703) 698-1110 HC MNT 1ST ASS&IVNT IND EA 15 MIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $39.50 | $79.00 | $35.08–$326.76 | 50% |
| Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg, VA · (703) 858-6600 HC MNT 1ST ASS&IVNT IND EA 15 MIN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $39.50 | $79.00 | $35.08–$326.76 | 50% |
| Fauquier Health Warrenton, VA · (540) 316-5000 Medical nutrition therapy; initial assessment and intervention, individual, face-to-face with the patient, each 15 minutes File of Jul 14, 2026 · source file | $40.00 | $100.00 | $254.00 | 60% |
| Children's National Hospital Washington, DC · (202) 476-5000 97802 Med Nutrition Therapy, 15 Min, (Init Assess/Intervent w/Pt) File of Apr 2, 2026 · source file | $60.00 | $120.00 | $40.09–$247.00 | 50% |
| National Rehabilitation Hospital Washington, DC MED NUTR TX INITIAL EA 15M File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $66.47 | $102.26 | $34.20–$86.92 | 35% |
| MedStar Washington Hospital Center Washington, DC · (202) 877-7000 MED NUTR TX INITIAL EA 15M+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $70.85 | $109.00 | $29.03–$92.65 | 35% |
| Reston Hospital Center Reston, VA · (703) 689-9000 MNT INIT ASSESS EA 15MIN+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $111.44 | $111.44 | $21.17–$100.30 | — |
| Children's National Rehabilitation and Specialized Care Washington, DC MEDICAL NUTRITION INDIV IN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $141.00 | $282.00 | $48.46–$267.90 | 50% |
| MedStar Southern Hospital Center Clinton, MD · (301) 868-8000 MED NUT THER IND INITIAL 15 MI File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $265.31 | $270.72 | $265.31–$270.72 | 2% |
Outpatient: lowest $22.50, median $39.50, highest $265.31 — a 11.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $39.50. 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 14 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 3 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 nutrition counseling is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Nutrition counseling explained.