Price Comparison Report

DEXA Scan (Bone Density)

Durham, NC · 6 facilities · CPT 77080 · September 06, 2026

Summary

6 facilities within 25 miles of Durham publish prices for DEXA Scan (Bone Density). Cash prices range from $139 to $559 — a 4.0x difference for an identical procedure. The North Carolina average is $600.

$139 lowest
$559 highest
Best Value

Duke University Hospital

Durham, VA · Duke Health · 0.0 mi

$139 Cash price
5/5 CMS rating
80.0% Patient satisfaction

Lowest price among hospitals rated 5 stars or above. Patient satisfaction: 80%. Cash price of $139 is below the statewide average of $600.

All facilities ranked by price

1
Duke University Hospital 5★ · 0.0 mi · For-profit
$139
2
Duke Regional Hospital 4★ · 0.0 mi · Local government
$139
3
Rex Hospital 5★ · 20.8 mi · State government
$547
4
Unc Hospitals 5★ · 10.4 mi · State government
$547
5
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus 4★ · 20.8 mi · Nonprofit
$559
Complete facility data
# Facility Cash Price Gross Charge Markup CMS Stars Patient Rating Ownership
1 Duke University Hospital Duke Health Durham, NC · 0.0 mi $139 $513 3.7x 5/5 80.0% For-profit
2 Duke Regional Hospital Duke Health Durham, NC · 0.0 mi $139 $513 3.7x 4/5 71.0% Local government
3 Rex Hospital UNC Health Raleigh, NC · 20.8 mi $547 $911 1.67x 5/5 80.0% State government
4 Unc Hospitals UNC Health Chapel Hill, NC · 10.4 mi $547 $911 1.67x 5/5 78.0% State government
5 Wakemed, Raleigh Campus WakeMed Raleigh, NC · 20.8 mi $559 $1,470 2.63x 4/5 71.0% Nonprofit
6 Duke Health Raleigh Hospital Duke Health Raleigh, NC · 19.2 mi — $445 — — —

Insurance negotiated rates by facility

The rates below are what each insurer has contractually agreed to pay this hospital for DEXA Scan (Bone Density). Your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your deductible status and copay structure.

Duke University Hospital

Cash: $139
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Cigna Commercial/HMO/PPO $76 -$62
Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO $97 -$41
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage/Medicare Advantage HMO/Medicare Advantage PPO $102 -$36
UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage $102 -$36
Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO $103 -$36
Humana Medicare Advantage $103 -$36
Troy Health Medicare Advantage $104 -$35
VOANS Medicare Advantage $104 -$35
Cigna Medicare Advantage $106 -$33
Liberty Medicare Advantage $106 -$33
Alliance Health Managed Medicaid $116 -$23
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $116 -$23
Blue Cross Blue Shield Managed Medicaid $116 -$23
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $116 -$23
Trillium Managed Medicaid $116 -$23

10 additional plans not shown.

Duke Regional Hospital

Cash: $139
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Cigna Commercial/HMO/PPO $76 -$62
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $83 -$56
Blue Cross Blue Shield Managed Medicaid $83 -$56
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $83 -$56
Trillium Managed Medicaid $83 -$56
Alliance Health Managed Medicaid $92 -$47
Partners Managed Medicaid $92 -$47
UnitedHealthcare Managed Medicaid $96 -$42
Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO $98 -$40
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage/Medicare Advantage HMO/Medicare Advantage PPO $104 -$35
UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage $104 -$35
Troy Health Medicare Advantage $104 -$35
VOANS Medicare Advantage $104 -$35
Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO $106 -$33
Cigna Medicare Advantage $106 -$33

10 additional plans not shown.

Rex Hospital

Cash: $547
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Cigna CHOICE $53 -$494
Aetna CHOICE POS $87 -$459
Aetna STATE HEALTH PLAN $87 -$459
LIBERTY MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $103 -$444
Aetna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $103 -$444
ALIGNMENT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $103 -$444
ALIGNMENT SMART HMO $103 -$444
Blue Cross Blue Shield MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $103 -$444
Cigna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $103 -$444
Medicare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $103 -$444
HEALTH TEAM ADVANTAGE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $103 -$444
Humana MEDICARE ADVANTAGE GOLD PLUS $103 -$444
TRICARE HMO $103 -$444
UnitedHealthcare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $103 -$444
WELLCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $103 -$444

13 additional plans not shown.

Unc Hospitals

Cash: $547
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Aetna CHOICE POS $78 -$468
Aetna STATE HEALTH PLAN $78 -$468
Cigna CHOICE $92 -$455
NALC HEALTH BENEFIT PLAN HMO/PPO $92 -$455
Aetna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $104 -$443
ALIGNMENT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $104 -$443
ALIGNMENT PREFERRED PLUS HMO $104 -$443
Blue Cross Blue Shield MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $104 -$443
Cigna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $104 -$443
Medicare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $104 -$443
HEALTH TEAM ADVANTAGE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $104 -$443
Humana MEDICARE ADVANTAGE GOLD PLUS $104 -$443
Humana MEDICARE ADVANTAGE STATE HEALTH PLAN $104 -$443
LIBERTY MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $104 -$443
TRICARE HMO $104 -$443

19 additional plans not shown.

Wakemed, Raleigh Campus

Cash: $559
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Ambetter Exchange $53 -$506
Aetna Medicare Advantage $103 -$456
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $103 -$456
Wellcare Medicare Advantage $103 -$456
Liberty Medicare Advantage $105 -$454
Pruitt Medicare Advantage $105 -$454
Alignment Medicare Advantage $108 -$451
Cigna Exchange $118 -$441
Cigna Commercial $128 -$430
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $264 -$295
Carolina Complete Managed Medicaid $264 -$295
Wellcare Managed Medicaid $264 -$295
Aetna Narrow Network $662 +$103
First Health Coventry Carelink $676 +$118
Blue Cross Blue Shield Commercial $732 +$174

6 additional plans not shown.

Before you call

The data in this report is from each hospital's publicly filed prices. Here's how to use it.

Confirm the price

Call the hospital's billing department and ask for a price estimate or Good Faith Estimate for DEXA Scan (Bone Density) (CPT 77080). Under federal law, they must provide this. Compare it to the published price in this report.

Ask about cash pay

If you haven't met your deductible, ask for the cash/self-pay rate. At many hospitals, the cash price is lower than the insurance-negotiated rate. You can see this in the insurance table above — some negotiated rates exceed the cash price.

Compare before you schedule

You are not required to use the facility your doctor referred you to. You can request a referral to any in-network facility. The same procedure, same quality — sometimes at a fraction of the price.

Ask about financial help

Most nonprofit hospitals in Virginia offer financial assistance to patients based on household income. This is separate from insurance — even insured patients can qualify. Ask billing for their Financial Assistance Policy.

Financial assistance by facility

Nonprofit hospitals are legally required to have financial assistance programs. Below is what we know about each facility's charitable care.

Facility Status Charity Care Provided How to Apply
Duke University Hospital For-profit — N/A (for-profit)
Duke Regional Hospital Local government — N/A (for-profit)
Rex Hospital State government — N/A (for-profit)
Unc Hospitals State government — N/A (for-profit)
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus Nonprofit — Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Duke Health Raleigh Hospital — N/A (for-profit)

What to do next

  1. Identify your top 2-3 facilities based on price, quality rating, and distance. The data in this report shows that lower price does not mean lower quality — check the star ratings.
  2. Call billing before you schedule. Confirm the published price. Ask for a Good Faith Estimate. Ask whether there's a prompt-pay or cash-pay discount beyond the listed rate.
  3. Check your deductible status. If you haven't met your deductible, compare the cash rate to what you'd owe through insurance. In some cases, paying cash is cheaper than using your plan.
  4. Apply for financial assistance if your household income is under $60,000-$125,000 (thresholds vary). Most eligible patients never apply because they don't know the program exists.
  5. Get everything in writing. Before your procedure, get a written price estimate. After, review the bill line by line. Roughly 80% of hospital bills contain errors (Becker's Hospital Review).

Data sources

Hospital prices
Published machine-readable files, required under CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule (45 CFR Part 180)
Quality ratings
CMS Hospital Compare, updated quarterly
Patient satisfaction
HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems)
Financial data
CMS Cost Reports (charity care, revenue) and IRS 990 filings (officer compensation)

This report is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Every price shown is a price a hospital published — not an estimate. Actual out-of-pocket costs depend on your insurance plan, deductible status, and clinical circumstances. Consult your healthcare provider and insurer before making decisions.