HIDA scan cost in Iowa
In Iowa, 27 hospitals publish a cash price for HIDA scan: nuclear imaging of the liver, bile ducts and gallbladder: from $470.40 to $2,567.00, with a median of $703.20. The lowest price is at Buena Vista Regional Medical Center (Storm Lake). The highest price is 5.5× the lowest.
Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 78226. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Sep 23, 2026.
Lowest$470.40Buena Vista Regional Medical Center
Median$703.20half pay less
Highest$2,567.00in Iowa
Lowest saves$232.80vs the median
Hospitals in Iowa, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buena Vista Regional Medical Center lowest Storm Lake · Storm Lake, IA HC NM HEPATOBILIARY SYSTEM IMAGING | $470.40 | $588.00 | — source file |
| Allen Memorial Hospital Corporation Waterloo · Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA PR HEPATOBILIARY SYST IMAGING INCLUDING GALLBLADDER | $609.60 | $762.00 | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Central Iowa Hospital Corporation Des Moines · Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA PR HEPATOBILIARY SYST IMAGING INCLUDING GALLBLADDER | $609.60 | $762.00 | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Grinnell Regional Medical Center Grinnell · Grinnell, IA PR HEPATOBILIARY SYST IMAGING INCLUDING GALLBLADDER | $609.60 | $762.00 | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Northwest Iowa Hospital Corporation Sioux City · Sioux City, IA-NE-SD PR HEPATOBILIARY SYST IMAGING INCLUDING GALLBLADDER | $609.60 | $762.00 | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| St Luke's Methodist Hospital Cedar Rapids · Cedar Rapids, IA PR HEPATOBILIARY SYST IMAGING INCLUDING GALLBLADDER | $609.60 | $762.00 | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| St Luke'sJones Regional Medical Center Anamosa · Cedar Rapids, IA PR HEPATOBILIARY SYST IMAGING INCLUDING GALLBLADDER | $609.60 | $762.00 | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| The Finley Hospital Dubuque · Dubuque, IA PR HEPATOBILIARY SYST IMAGING INCLUDING GALLBLADDER | $609.60 | $762.00 | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Trinity Medical Center Bettendorf · Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL PR HEPATOBILIARY SYST IMAGING INCLUDING GALLBLADDER | $609.60 | $762.00 | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Trinity Regional Medical Center Fort Dodge · Fort Dodge, IA PR HEPATOBILIARY SYST IMAGING INCLUDING GALLBLADDER | $609.60 | $762.00 | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Unity Healthcare Muscatine · Muscatine, IA PR HEPATOBILIARY SYST IMAGING INCLUDING GALLBLADDER | $609.60 | $762.00 | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| UnityPoint Health Marshalltown Marshalltown · Marshalltown, IA PR HEPATOBILIARY SYST IMAGING INCLUDING GALLBLADDER | $609.60 | $762.00 | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Jennie Edmundson Memorial Hospital Council Bluffs · Omaha, NE-IA OLMS2 Exam | $683.10 | $2,277.00 | Feb 15, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Genesis Davenport West Medical Center Davenport · Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL NM Hepatobiliary Imaging | $703.20 | $1,172.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| MercyOne Genesis Davenport Medical Center Davenport · Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL NM Hepatobiliary Image - Fatty Meal | $768.00 | $1,280.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Alegent Health Bergan Mercy Health System Council Bluffs · Omaha, NE-IA HC HEPATOBILRY IMG W GALL BLAD | $857.64 | $2,042.00 | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Winneshiek Medical Center Decorah · Decorah, IA Nuclear medicine study of liver and bile duct system | $895.30 | $1,279.00 | Jul 17, 2026 source file |
| Covenant Medical Center Inc Waterloo · Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA HC NM Imaging Hepatobiliary System | $919.75 | $1,415.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Medical Center - Newton Newton · Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HC NM Imaging Hepatobiliary System | $1,046.50 | $1,610.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Health Services-Iowa Corp. Mason City · Mason City, IA HC NM Imaging Hepatobiliary System | $1,222.65 | $1,881.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Alegent Health - Mercy Hospital, Corning Iowa Corning · Corning, IA HC HEPATOBILRY IMG W GALL BLAD | $1,312.32 | $2,734.00 | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Alegent Health Community Memorial Hospital of Missouri Valley, Iowa Missouri Valley · Omaha, NE-IA HC HEPATOBILRY IMG W GALL BLAD | $1,339.66 | $2,734.00 | Feb 28, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Medical Center - Dubuque Dubuque · Dubuque, IA HC NM Imaging Hepatobiliary System | $1,522.95 | $2,343.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Catholic Health Initiatives-Iowa Corp Des Moines · Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HC NM Imaging Hepatobiliary System | $1,668.55 | $2,567.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Sanford Sheldon Medical Center Sheldon · Sheldon, IA NM HEPATOBILIARY IMG INCL GALLBLADDER | $1,784.00 | $2,230.00 | Mar 4, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Medical Center-Clinton Inc Clinton · Clinton, IA HC NM Imaging Hepatobiliary System | $1,935.70 | $2,978.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Catholic Health Initiatives-Iowa Corp West Des Moines · Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HC NM Imaging Hepatobiliary System | $2,567.00 | $2,567.00 | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
By metro area
Each metro page compares every listing, including prices for both sides of the body.
| Metro area | Hospitals | Lowest | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 4 | $609.60 | $1,357.52 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 3 | $609.60 | $703.20 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 3 | $683.10 | $857.64 |
| Dubuque, IA | 2 | $609.60 | $1,066.28 |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 2 | $609.60 | $764.68 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | 1 | $609.60 | $609.60 |
| Corning, IA | 1 | $1,312.32 | $1,312.32 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | 1 | $609.60 | $609.60 |
| Clinton, IA | 1 | $1,935.70 | $1,935.70 |
| Decorah, IA | 1 | $895.30 | $895.30 |
| Fort Dodge, IA | 1 | $609.60 | $609.60 |
| Grinnell, IA | 1 | $609.60 | $609.60 |
| Marshalltown, IA | 1 | $609.60 | $609.60 |
| Mason City, IA | 1 | $1,222.65 | $1,222.65 |
| Muscatine, IA | 1 | $609.60 | $609.60 |
| Sheldon, IA | 1 | $1,784.00 | $1,784.00 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 1 | $609.60 | $609.60 |
| Storm Lake, IA | 1 | $470.40 | $470.40 |
What it is
A HIDA scan follows a radioactive tracer as the liver takes it up and releases it into the bile ducts, gallbladder and bowel. It is used to look for gallbladder inflammation, a blocked bile duct or a bile leak.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the imaging. The tracer and the reading by a radiologist or nuclear medicine doctor are often billed separately. A scan that also measures how well the gallbladder empties after a medicine is given is billed under a different code (78227).
HIDA scan: nuclear imaging of the liver, bile ducts and gallbladder in other states
- Alabama$2,064.00
- Alaska$1,765.81
- Arizona$536.69
- Arkansas$878.05
- California$1,836.80
- Colorado$1,312.36
- Connecticut$920.70
- Delaware$1,580.80
- Florida$1,789.42
- Georgia$1,161.42
- Hawaii$748.80
- Idaho$1,425.00
- Illinois$1,280.00
- Indiana$1,442.24
- Kansas$3,787.97
- Kentucky$3,389.96
- Louisiana$378.46
- Maine$1,348.35
- Maryland$899.25
- Massachusetts$1,110.35
- Michigan$812.38
- Minnesota$1,370.11
- Mississippi$607.18
- Missouri$1,307.70
- Montana$1,071.09
- Nebraska$975.00
- Nevada$466.21
- New Hampshire$1,161.42
- New Jersey$473.22
- New York$931.49
- North Carolina$1,438.58
- North Dakota$1,198.68
- Ohio$1,540.50
- Oklahoma$1,153.30
- Oregon$1,320.00
- Pennsylvania$1,349.00
- Puerto Rico$225.00
- Rhode Island$534.30
- South Carolina$1,751.40
- South Dakota$1,889.60
- Tennessee$452.25
- Texas$1,754.98
- Utah$1,082.32
- Vermont$1,730.20
- Virginia$1,128.75
- Washington$1,177.10
- West Virginia$875.75
- Wisconsin$1,094.72
- Wyoming$1,139.20
Median cash price across the state's hospitals.