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Nuclear Scan for Thyroid Cancer That Has Spread

Washington, DC rates for HCPCS 78016

A nuclear medicine scan that searches for thyroid tissue or thyroid cancer sitting outside the thyroid gland itself. The person is given a small amount of radioactive iodine, which thyroid cells take up wherever they are in the body, and a scanner then shows where it has collected.

Rates data updated July 2026.

How much does Nuclear Scan for Thyroid Cancer That Has Spread cost?

$251

Typical negotiated rate. In Washington, DC, July 2026.

Insurers have agreed to pay about $251 for this service. The price depends on where it is billed: about $251 from a physician practice, and about $251 from a hospital or other facility. The two figures are alternatives, not parts of one bill.

These are rates insurers have negotiated with providers, not the amount a patient is billed. What you owe depends on your plan's deductible and coinsurance. Based on rates published by 5 insurance carriers under federal price transparency rules.

Where it's billed changes the price

Billed byTypicalRange
Physician practiceA doctor's office, clinic or independent provider$251$251 to $324
FacilityA hospital or hospital-owned outpatient department$251$251 to $1,738

How much rates vary

Facilitymedian $251 · 10th to 90th $251 to $2,512Professionalmedian $251 · 10th to 90th $251 to $692
$200.0$500.0$1.0K$2.0Kfacility $251professional $251

Distribution of negotiated rates across all payers (price axis is log-scale). Each curve is scaled to its own total: facility and professional rates are different services, shown together to compare where they cluster. Small sample; interpret with caution. Need provider-level prices or 24+ months of history? Contact us.

Rates by insurance carrier

Insurance Carrier
Aetna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$251.19
Median
$251.19
Typical High
$251.19
Aetna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$251.19
Median
$251.19
Typical High
$251.19
CareFirst
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$275.42
Median
$645.65
Typical High
$1,412.54
Cigna
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,047.13
Median
$2,511.89
Typical High
$2,511.89
Cigna
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$229.09
Median
$338.84
Typical High
$1,318.26
Kaiser Permanente
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$275.42
Median
$323.59
Typical High
$602.56
United
Setting
Facility
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$1,737.80
Median
$2,041.74
Typical High
$2,344.23
United
Setting
Professional
Modifier
Global
Typical Low
$245.47
Median
$416.87
Typical High
$933.25

Where Washington, DC sits

The same service costs 4.3 times more in Wyoming than in Florida. Every bar is a state, most expensive first. Pick one to see its carriers and full range.

Washington, DC $251 · 42nd of 51
WY $891FL $209

Median negotiated rate in each state, from every insurer that publishes one. States where no insurer publishes a rate for this service are not shown.