DEXA Scan (Bone Density)
Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to measure bone mineral density. Recommended for women 65+ and men 70+ to screen for osteoporosis.
Typical insured price · Colorado
What hospitals actually accept from insurers, between the 25th and 75th percentile — half of negotiated rates fall in this window with a median of $183.
Cash price (median)
$391
What you'd pay self-pay
Gross charge (median)
$938
The chargemaster sticker
vs Medicare
—
Coming with enrichment
Sourced from 39 Colorado hospitals publishing under 45 CFR §180.50.
At a glance
- Code
- CPT 77080
- Code system
- CPT (Current Procedural Terminology)
- Typical setting
- an outpatient setting
- Hospitals reporting
- 39
- Medicare preventive
- Yes — typically no cost-sharing
How they price DEXA Scan (Bone Density)
Across 39 Colorado hospitals that publish a commercial negotiated rate for CPT 77080, the typical insured price for DEXA Scan (Bone Density) runs $116 to $435 (the 25th-to-75th percentile of per-hospital medians). The Colorado median is $183 — half of reporting hospitals are at or below that figure. The median discounted cash price across the same hospitals is $391, against a median gross charge of $938.
What affects the price
Structural and contractual factors that move the price for this code — not clinical reasons.
- · Outpatient setting (hospital outpatient department, ambulatory surgery center, or office) is the single biggest non-clinical price driver — the same code in a hospital outpatient department often costs 2–4× the ambulatory-surgery-center rate.
- · In-network vs out-of-network status — out-of-network claims rarely use the negotiated rates shown here.
- · Facility fee — many hospitals add a separate facility fee in addition to the procedure rate; ask explicitly when calling.
- · Bundled vs unbundled billing — the rate may or may not include radiology read, anaesthesia, or pathology. Ask which professional services are included.
Where to get it
Sorted by median negotiated rate, low to high. The bar shows each hospital’s position in the Colorado range.
40 hospitals
| Hospital | Position · Median | Negotiated band | Cash | Payers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder Community Health Foothills Hospital Gross charge $1,006
| $50 | $35 – $400 | $503 | 31 |
| Uchealth Estes Valley Medical Center Estes Park Gross charge $56
| $53 | $40 – $54 | $42 | 15 |
| Commonspirit St Francis Hospital Interquest Gross charge $978
| $100 | $30 – $245 | $391 | 14 |
| Commonspirit Orthocolorado Hospital Gross charge $978
| $101 | $36 – $245 | $391 | 15 |
Family Health West Hospital Fruita
| $101 | $83 – $120 | — | 1 |
| Commonspirit St Francis Hospital Gross charge $978
| $102 | $30 – $245 | $391 | 15 |
| Commonspirit St Anthony North Hospital Gross charge $978
| $106 | $69 – $258 | $391 | 16 |
| Community Hospital Grand Junction Gross charge $129
| $110 | $110 – $119 | $72 | 7 |
| Commonspirit Longmont United Hospital Gross charge $978
| $114 | $31 – $268 | $391 | 15 |
| Lincoln Community Hospital Hugo Gross charge $597
| $115 | $115 – $115 | $597 | 14 |
| Valley View Hospital Glenwood Springs Gross charge $177
| $118 | $118 – $118 | $150 | 3 |
| Commonspirit St Anthony Hospital Lakewood Gross charge $978
| $123 | $93 – $265 | $391 | 14 |
| Uchealth University of Colorado Hospital Aurora Gross charge $327
| $131 | $107 – $186 | $114 | 15 |
| Commonspirit St Mary Corwin Hospital Pueblo Gross charge $439
| $141 | $30 – $245 | $176 | 14 |
| Uchealth Greeley Hospital Gross charge $868
| $146 | $106 – $539 | $521 | 12 |
| Uchealth Longs Peak Hospital Longmont Gross charge $941
| $149 | $107 – $471 | $329 | 14 |
| Uchealth Highlands Ranch Hospital Gross charge $941
| $174 | $107 – $472 | $282 | 12 |
| Denver Health Medical Center Gross charge $511
| $180 | $175 – $381 | $179 | 7 |
| Uchealth Memorial Hospital Central Colorado Springs Gross charge $938
| $183 | $105 – $373 | $422 | 14 |
| Uchealth Memorial Hospital North Colorado Springs Gross charge $938
| $183 | $105 – $373 | $422 | 14 |
| Uchealth Grandview Hospital Colorado Springs Gross charge $941
| $202 | $107 – $388 | $329 | 13 |
| Uchealth Parkview Medical Center Pueblo Gross charge $851
| $217 | $118 – $413 | $340 | 12 |
| Pikes Peak Regional Hospital Woodland Park Gross charge $544
| $249 | $136 – $431 | $435 | 12 |
| Uchealth Yampa Valley Medical Center Steamboat Springs Gross charge $366
| $278 | $107 – $318 | $329 | 12 |
Hca Healthone Sky Ridge Medical Center
| $293 | $199 – $337 | — | 2 |
Hca Healthone Presbyterian St Luke S Medical Center
| $331 | $212 – $409 | — | 2 |
| Children S Hospital Colorado Colorado Springs Gross charge $637
| $414 | $352 – $475 | $414 | 33 |
| Uchealth Medical Center of the Rockies Loveland Gross charge $868
| $423 | $75 – $679 | $608 | 16 |
| Uchealth Poudre Valley Hospital Fort Collins Gross charge $868
| $423 | $75 – $679 | $608 | 16 |
| Commonspirit Mercy Hospital Durango Gross charge $1,029
| $447 | $66 – $844 | $412 | 16 |
| National Jewish Health Denver Gross charge $716
| $465 | $252 – $537 | $501 | 8 |
| Commonspirit St Anthony Summit Medical Center Gross charge $1,028
| $607 | $74 – $861 | $411 | 14 |
| Commonspirit St Thomas More Hospital Ca on City Gross charge $834
| $614 | $125 – $711 | $334 | 14 |
| Hca Healthone Swedish Medical Center Gross charge $1,307
| $690 | $324 – $915 | $1,307 | 14 |
| Commonspirit St Elizabeth Hospital Fort Morgan Gross charge $976
| $758 | $42 – $917 | $390 | 12 |
| Grand River Health Rifle Gross charge $463
| $903 | $903 – $903 | $232 | 1 |
| Hca Healthone Aurora Medical Center of Aurora Gross charge $1,767
| $908 | $366 – $1,237 | $1,767 | 14 |
| Hca Healthone Rose Medical Center Gross charge $3,583
| $1,752 | $717 – $2,508 | $3,583 | 15 |
| Hca Healthone Mountain Ridge Thornton Gross charge $3,708
| $1,813 | $530 – $2,595 | $3,708 | 15 |
| Prowers Medical Center Lamar Gross charge $496
| — | — | $298 | — |
Common questions
Short answers, derived from the data on this page. See the full FAQ for site-wide questions.
- What is the typical price for DEXA Scan (Bone Density) in Colorado?
- Across 39 Colorado hospitals reporting a commercial negotiated rate for CPT 77080, the 25th-to-75th percentile band runs $116 to $435 per hospital median. The 50th-percentile (Colorado median) is $183.
- Why is the price range for DEXA Scan (Bone Density) so wide?
- Hospitals negotiate differently with different insurers, the procedure can be performed in different settings (hospital outpatient, ambulatory, inpatient), and in-network status varies plan-by-plan. The 3.7× spread between the 25th and 75th percentile in the data reflects those structural differences, not clinical ones.
- Is DEXA Scan (Bone Density) covered by Medicare?
- DEXA Scan (Bone Density) is on Medicare's preventive-services list, which generally means no patient cost-sharing under Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage when the eligibility rules are met. Verify with your specific plan — frequency limits and clinical criteria still apply.
- What's the cash price for DEXA Scan (Bone Density) if I don't have insurance?
- The median discounted cash price across reporting Colorado hospitals is $391. Hospitals are required to offer a self-pay rate that's often less than the gross "chargemaster" charge but typically more than the lowest negotiated rate — the per-hospital table on this page shows the full spread.
- What does CPT 77080 mean?
- CPT 77080 is the CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) code for DEXA Scan (Bone Density). It identifies the procedure for billing and price-disclosure purposes — every hospital's MRF reports rates against this code.
Browse related collections
The same procedure shows up under several useful lenses. Each collection groups it with peers that get shopped together.