Nuclear stress test cost in California

In California, 195 hospitals publish a cash price for nuclear stress test imaging (SPECT), rest and stress studies: from $809.00 to $33,948.57, with a median of $4,058.80. The lowest price is at San Antonio Regional Hospital (Upland). The highest price is 42.0× the lowest.

• The median here, $4,058.80, is 24% above the US median of $3,277.78.
• That is 3.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($1,322.69).
• California ranks 41st of 51 states by median, cheapest first.
• 57 of 195 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.

California law (Health and Safety Code §127405): if you are uninsured or have high medical costs and your family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, a hospital may not expect you to pay more than it would expect from Medicare or Medi-Cal, whichever is greater. That can be less than the cash prices below; ask the hospital for its discount payment policy. A separate physician fee may still apply. Other states' laws.

Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 78452. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map