How much does an ultrasound cost?
What an ultrasound costs depends on who is paying. Without insurance, the figure to use is a hospital's cash price, and the hospitals below publish theirs. For people on Medicare, what Medicare pays for a complete abdominal ultrasound in 2026 averages $212 in total at a hospital outpatient department, of which the patient pays about $42, or $171 at an ambulatory surgical center with the patient paying about $33, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; that is the government's rate for Medicare patients, and a private plan or a cash payer is charged its own price. There is no national figure for what private insurance pays: FAIR Health's consumer cost lookup, the nearest thing to one, gives estimates only for a ZIP code you enter, so it is not quoted here. Boston Medical Center publishes a cash price of $544.95 for a complete abdominal ultrasound, CPT 76700, in its file dated 13 March 2026. Franklin Memorial Hospital publishes $699.65 for the facility part of that exam in its file dated 9 September 2025. Neither figure establishes the whole bill: Boston excludes professional fees on its pricing page, and Franklin lists professional rows separately, with the gross and cash fields blank on the ones under CPT 76700. The tables below separate the exam, the published charge and what that charge covers.
$544.95
Boston cash price, complete abdominal ultrasound, CPT 76700; professional fees excluded
$699.65
Franklin facility cash price, CPT 76700; professional cash price not published
$195
Advanced Medical Imaging routine ultrasound; read included, CPT unspecified
$212
what Medicare pays in total, Medicare patients only, a complete abdominal ultrasound, hospital outpatient, 2026
$171
what Medicare pays in total, Medicare patients only, a complete abdominal ultrasound, ambulatory surgical center, 2026
Cost breakdown
Each table below comes from one source, named underneath it, with the date that source last revised the figures. Everything is a United States figure in USD.
Boston Medical Center: ultrasound charges in the file dated 13 March 2026
| CPT | Exam described by the file | Gross charge | Cash price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76700 | Complete abdominal ultrasound | $1,211.00 | $544.95 |
| 76705 | Limited abdominal ultrasound | $970.00 | $436.50 |
| 76856 | Complete non-obstetric pelvic ultrasound | $1,074.00 | $483.30 |
| 76830 | Transvaginal ultrasound | $815.00 | $366.75 |
| 76801 | Pregnancy ultrasound, first or single gestation | $917.00 | $412.65 |
| 76805 | Pregnancy ultrasound after first trimester, first or single gestation | $1,073.00 | $482.85 |
| 76536 | Head and neck soft-tissue ultrasound | $1,015.00 | $456.75 |
Franklin Memorial Hospital: explicitly labelled facility charges, 9 September 2025
| CPT | Exam | Facility gross charge | Facility cash price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 76700 | Complete abdominal ultrasound | $699.65 | $699.65 |
| 76705 | Limited abdominal ultrasound | $537.95 | $537.95 |
| 76856 | Complete pelvic ultrasound | $629.55 | $629.55 |
Advanced Medical Imaging, Florida: its own routine-ultrasound offer, effective 2026
| Published category | Prompt-pay price | Published scope |
|---|---|---|
| Routine ultrasound; no CPT code stated | $195.00 | Radiologist interpretation and report included |
UChicago: why one code and one billing class still do not select a price
| Published description for CPT 76700 | Setting | Gross charge | Cash price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chg Us Abdominal Real Time W/Image Documentation-Pbb | Both | $399.00 | $399.00 |
| Hc Ultrasound, Abdominal, Real Time With Image Documentation, Complete | Both | $2,716.00 | $2,716.00 |
| Hc Ultrasound, Abdominal, Real Time With Image Documentation, Complete-Pbb | Both | $2,716.00 | $2,716.00 |
| Hc Ultrasound, Abdominal, Real Time With Image Documentation, Complete-Pbb | Both | $3,115.00 | $3,115.00 |
| Us exam abdom complete | Outpatient | Not published | Not published |
What Medicare pays for ultrasound, 2026, for Medicare patients only: the total and the patient's share
| Procedure | Code | Hospital outpatient total | Patient pays | Surgical center total | Patient pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdomen, complete | 76700 | $212 | $42 | $171 | $33 |
| Abdomen, limited | 76705 | $192 | $38 | $143 | $28 |
| Pelvis, complete | 76856 | $211 | $42 | $162 | $32 |
| Transvaginal | 76830 | $212 | $42 | $174 | $34 |
A bar for each row of the table above, 7 of them, drawn to the same scale so the spread is visible at a glance. The figure beside each bar is the one the table prints.
What changes the price
- The exact exam on the order
- An abdominal scan and a pelvic scan have different codes in these files. A complete abdominal study and a limited one are also separate entries. Compare the code and description on your order with the quoted service before comparing amounts.
- The professional fee
- Franklin Memorial Hospital separates facility and professional billing under CPT 76700. Boston Medical Center states its lists exclude professional fees. Ask whether the quote includes the interpretation and report, and whether another provider will bill you.
- Cash pricing and insurance pricing
- The hospital files distinguish discounted cash prices from rates negotiated with insurers. A published insurer rate cannot tell you your deductible, copay or remaining benefits. Those require your plan details and the specific service being billed.
- Several entries under the same code
- The University of Chicago Medical Center shows why matching CPT and billing class is only a starting point. The description and setting must also match, and a duplicate description may still have different prices. Ask the hospital to identify the applicable entry rather than choosing the first row.
How to pay less
- Get an itemised estimate for the ordered scan
- Ask for the exam code, the facility charge, any professional charge and the payment terms. Confirm whether a second scan or additional service is included. A quote for one component cannot answer what the whole appointment will cost.
- Confirm your insurance benefits before using an insurer rate
- Give your plan the exam code and provider details. Ask what is covered, which providers are in network and what you would owe. The hospital file supplies a published rate; it does not contain your personal coverage determination.
- Compare the same scope at each provider
- Keep a facility-only quote separate from one that includes interpretation. Where a clinic publishes a broad category rather than a code, have it confirm the exact exam and inclusions before treating the prices as comparable.
Questions
How much does an ultrasound cost with Medicare?
Medicare's national average total for a complete abdominal ultrasound in 2026 is $212 in a hospital outpatient department, with the patient paying $42 on average, or $171 in an ambulatory surgical center, with the patient paying $33, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. With a private plan, your cost depends on its negotiated rate and your deductible; without insurance, ask for the cash price, which the hospital files on this page publish.
How much does an ultrasound cost without insurance?
For CPT 76700, a complete abdominal ultrasound, Boston Medical Center publishes $544.95 cash in its 13 March 2026 file; its pricing page excludes professional fees. Franklin Memorial Hospital publishes $699.65 cash for the facility component in its 9 September 2025 file. These are named examples with limited scope. Neither is a national average, and neither is a complete bill.
Will insurance pay for an ultrasound?
The hospital files contain rates agreed with insurers, but they cannot establish whether your particular scan is covered or what you will owe. Check the ordered exam, provider network and benefits with your plan. A blank cash field in a professional row is not evidence of insurance coverage or a waived fee.
How much does a pelvic ultrasound cost?
Boston Medical Center publishes a cash price of $483.30 for CPT 76856, a complete non-obstetric pelvic ultrasound, in its 13 March 2026 file. Its transvaginal entry, CPT 76830, is $366.75. They are separate codes; the file does not say your appointment needs one or both, and its pricing page excludes professional fees.
How much is a pregnancy ultrasound?
Boston Medical Center publishes $412.65 cash for CPT 76801 and $482.85 for CPT 76805 in its 13 March 2026 file. Those are individual entries for a first or single gestation, with the latter described as after the first trimester. They do not price all prenatal care or establish the number of scans a patient needs.
Why is an ultrasound quote different from a published price?
The quote may cover a different exam, include professional services, use your insurer's terms or reflect a newer price. The University of Chicago Medical Center also publishes different amounts under the same code and billing class, so those two labels alone may not identify the applicable charge.
Does a lower published price make one provider the better choice?
The price files do not measure clinical quality or establish whether two offers cover the same service. Confirm the ordered exam, location, interpretation and payment terms before comparing quotes. Your treating clinician can address whether the proposed study meets the clinical need.
Where these figures come from
All amounts are US dollars from named US providers. Hospital files were downloaded and read on 25 September 2026. Boston Medical Center dates its file 13 March 2026, Franklin Memorial Hospital 9 September 2025, and The University of Chicago Medical Center 1 April 2026. Advanced Medical Imaging states prices effective as of 2026 without a day or month; its own rate card was read on 25 September 2026. All matching rows for the quoted hospital codes were examined by billing class, description, setting and modifiers before figures were selected. Boston has no billing-class column and remains unlabelled here. Franklin figures are facility charges only. Chicago entries demonstrate ambiguity and are not appointment prices. The clinic category is not assigned an inferred CPT code. No national average, saving, ratio or full-bill total has been calculated. Prices and terms may change; these documents do not establish an individual patient's insurance benefits.