Mammogram, screening cost.
What mammogram, screening costs at 132 US hospitals across 63 metros, pulled from the federally-mandated machine-readable files each hospital is required to publish. Cash-pay range: $18 to $2,388 (133× spread). CPT code 77067.
Top 5 cheapest hospitals for screening mammogram.
| # | Hospital | Cash price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Adventist Health Glendale
Glendale, CA
|
$18 to $155 |
| 2 |
Jefferson Regional Medical Center
Jefferson Hills, PA
|
$19 to $1,377 |
| 3 |
Allegheny General Hospital
Pittsburgh, PA
|
$24 to $1,739 |
| 4 |
Jefferson Abington Hospital
Philadelphia, PA
|
$42 to $151 |
| 5 |
Whittier Hospital Medical Center
Whittier, CA
|
$46 to $93 |
See all 132 hospitals, your insurance, your zip.
Pick your insurance plan, enter your zip, see your estimated out-of-pocket cost. Same data, your view.
Compare screening mammogram prices →What is mammogram, screening?
Screening mammogram, both breasts.
A bilateral screening mammogram for women without symptoms. Federal law requires most insurance plans to cover this with no out-of-pocket cost when used for routine screening (typically once a year for women 40+).
The published rate is what's billed in the absence of insurance, or what the insurer pays the hospital. If you have insurance and this is preventive screening, you should owe $0. If a follow-up diagnostic mammogram is needed, that's CPT 77065 or 77066 — different code, different price, NOT necessarily covered preventively.
Why prices vary this much.
The same mammogram, screening on the same equipment can cost 133 times more at one hospital than another. Three reasons.
Chargemasters are arbitrary. The "sticker price" hospitals publish was never designed for consumers. It's a starting number for negotiation with insurance companies, with adjustments stacked on top for decades. Almost no one pays the chargemaster.
Negotiated rates are confidential bilateral contracts. Each insurance company negotiates its own rate with each hospital. Aetna at Hospital A might pay 60% of what Cigna pays at the same hospital for the same code. You see one rate; the hospital sees dozens.
Cash pay is a separate thing entirely. Many hospitals offer a "self-pay" or "cash-pay" rate that's dramatically cheaper than what they'd bill insurance, especially for elective imaging. If you have a high-deductible plan, paying cash and filing for reimbursement (or just eating the cost) can be the cheapest path.
What to ask the hospital before you book.
The four questions that surface hidden costs:
1. "Is the price you're quoting me the all-in price, or just the facility fee?" Hospitals often quote the facility fee and bill the radiologist or anesthesiologist separately on a different invoice.
2. "What's the cash-pay rate vs the rate you'd bill my insurance?" Don't assume insurance is cheaper. For high-deductible plans, cash pay is often the better deal.
3. "If I'm uninsured, do you have a financial assistance policy I qualify for?" Federally-tax-exempt hospitals are required to have one, and it can knock 50-100% off the bill for households under specific income thresholds.
4. "If I get a bill and the price is different than what was quoted, what's your dispute process?" Get the answer before you book, in writing if possible. If the bill comes in higher than the quote, you have leverage.