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Reviewed by John Caruso, FSA, MAAA • Data last updated

Nuclear Stress Test Cost in North Carolina (2026): Average Prices & What You'll Pay

What does a nuclear stress test cost in North Carolina?

Where you have a nuclear stress test done in North Carolina swings the bill from $1,237 to $2,246 for identical care. The median cash price across 68 reporting hospitals is $1,959. The numbers are pulled directly from federally mandated hospital price transparency files. The sections below break this down by coverage and by insurer.

Three low-priced facilities in North Carolina, from hospital price files

  • THE MOSES H. CONE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL OPERATING CORPORATION · Reidsville, NC $506
  • Alamance Regional Medical Center · Burlington, NC $506
  • DUKE UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM, INC. Doing Business As: DURHAM REGIONAL HOSPITAL · Durham, NC $592

All 68 facilities are listed below, free.

Where nuclear stress test costs vary in North Carolina

Pins show hospitals with price-transparency data (colored by vs. state average) and nearby outpatient clinics and other facilities (colored by type). Click any pin for facility name and estimated cost range.

Hospital (below avg) Hospital (above avg) Click a pin for details.

26+ people checked prices near them this month.

What you pay for a nuclear stress test depends on where you go and what is billed separately. Most patients find out after.

Your personalized cost report includes:

  • ✓ Radiotracer: The tracer injected for the images is often billed separately from the scan itself.
  • ✓ Stress method: Exercise and medicine-induced stress are billed differently, and hospitals report the stress and imaging parts as separate lines.
  • ✓ Which bills usually arrive separately, and which providers to check are in-network
  • ✓ The questions to ask before you schedule, so the estimate covers everything
  • ✓ A real patient billing breakdown, line by line

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Cheapest Nuclear Stress Test Providers in North Carolina

Based on declared cash/self-pay prices from CMS hospital price transparency files.

# Facility City Price vs median ($1,959)
1 THE MOSES H. CONE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL OPERATING CORPORATION Reidsville, NC $506 $1,453 below
2 Alamance Regional Medical Center Burlington, NC $506 $1,453 below
3 DUKE UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM, INC. Doing Business As: DURHAM REGIONAL HOSPITAL Durham, NC $592 $1,367 below
4 DUKE UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM, INC. Doing Business As: DUKE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL Durham, NC $592 $1,367 below
5 East Carolina Health-Chowan, Inc. Edenton, NC $664 $1,295 below
6 Person Memorial Hospital NC $670 $1,289 below
7 The Outer Banks Hospital, Inc. Nags Head, NC $720 $1,239 below
8 Duplin General Hospital, Inc. Kenansville, NC $736 $1,223 below

Prices are declared self-pay rates. Contact each facility for a formal quote before scheduling.

Before you book: three questions that change the price

  1. Is this the self-pay price, and does it include the doctor, anesthesia and any lab or pathology? Those are often billed separately.
  2. Can you give me the price in writing, with the billing codes it covers?
  3. What happens to the price if something extra is needed during the procedure?

Estimate your out-of-pocket cost →  ·  When the bills arrive, we check them for errors →

Quick take

  • THE MOSES H. CONE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL OPERATING CORPORATION is the lowest-cost option at $506 - $1,453 below the median posted price ($1,959), just by choosing where you go.
  • Ask for the cash price if your deductible isn't met - the median cash price here is $1,959, and it's often lower than what insurance pays before your deductible is satisfied.
  • Doctor offices and independent clinics may charge differently from hospitals for the same service and may not appear in this hospital-only dataset. Ask your doctor whether another site is an option.
Nuclear stress test prices by coverage in North Carolina, October 2026
CoverageHospitals with a rateTypical rangeMedian
Medicare (national rate)—$1,323 to $1,323$1,323
With insurance (commercial, average)64$902 to $2,605$1,808
Without insurance (cash price)82$380 to $2,931$1,959
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina49$813 to $2,562$1,641
Aetna52$900 to $3,370$2,058
Cigna48$1,293 to $2,883$1,864
UnitedHealthcare30$441 to $2,738$1,930

Rates are negotiated allowed amounts and cash prices from hospital price-transparency files (October 2026), shown at each hospital’s lowest-priced typical billing code for this procedure. Facility fees only. The typical range is the middle 80% of hospitals, not a quote for your visit.

How much does a nuclear stress test cost with Medicare in North Carolina?

Medicare's national hospital outpatient payment for nuclear stress test is about $1,323 to $1,323 (typically near $1,323). After the $257 Part B deductible, you generally pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount, about $265 on a $1,323 payment, with no out-of-pocket cap unless you have supplemental coverage or a Medicare Advantage plan.

Doctor, anesthesia and pathology fees are billed separately. Medicare rates are national CMS amounts, adjusted slightly by local wage levels.

How much does a nuclear stress test cost with insurance in North Carolina?

Across 64 North Carolina hospitals, the negotiated rates commercial insurers pay for nuclear stress test average $902 to $2,605 per hospital, with a median near $1,808. That is the amount your plan and you pay the hospital together; you owe your deductible, then coinsurance, up to your out-of-pocket maximum.

Each hospital’s figure is the average of the commercial insurers it lists. Medicare, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid rates are excluded.

How much does a nuclear stress test cost without insurance in North Carolina?

Cash (self-pay) prices for nuclear stress test at 82 North Carolina hospitals range from $380 to $2,931, with a median of $1,959. Ask for the cash or self-pay price and for any financial-assistance discount before you book; both can be lower than the posted price.

Cash prices are the hospital’s published discounted rate for patients paying without insurance.

How much does a nuclear stress test cost with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina?

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina negotiated rates for nuclear stress test at 49 North Carolina hospitals range from $813 to $2,562, with a median near $1,641. Your own cost depends on your plan’s deductible and coinsurance, and on whether the hospital is in your network.

Includes Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Anthem plans listed by each hospital.

How much does a nuclear stress test cost with Aetna in North Carolina?

Aetna negotiated rates for nuclear stress test at 52 North Carolina hospitals range from $900 to $3,370, with a median near $2,058. If a hospital is out of network for your Aetna plan, you may owe more than the negotiated rate, so check the network first.

How much does a nuclear stress test cost with Cigna in North Carolina?

Cigna negotiated rates for nuclear stress test at 48 North Carolina hospitals range from $1,293 to $2,883, with a median near $1,864. If a hospital is out of network for your Cigna plan, you may owe more than the negotiated rate, so check the network first.

How much does a nuclear stress test cost with UnitedHealthcare in North Carolina?

UnitedHealthcare negotiated rates for nuclear stress test at 30 North Carolina hospitals range from $441 to $2,738, with a median near $1,930. If a hospital is out of network for your UnitedHealthcare plan, you may owe more than the negotiated rate, so check the network first.

How where you go changes what you pay for nuclear stress test

The same nuclear stress test bundles different services depending on the setting - facility fee, surgeon fee, and anesthesia each arrive as separate bills. Estimated ranges below reflect the typical full bundled cost, including all expected charges.

Hospital Outpatient
$790–$7,716
  • Facility fee $328–$6,020
  • Professional fee $462–$1,696

Estimated from CMS fee schedules + commercial rate multipliers

Hospital Inpatient
$968–$7,522
  • Facility fee $506–$5,826
  • Professional fee $462–$1,696

Estimated from CMS fee schedules + commercial rate multipliers

Atrium Health (formerly Carolinas HealthCare) and Wake Forest Baptist Health have merged into one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the Southeast. Duke Health and UNC Health anchor the Research Triangle academic tier, creating a market where major academic centers hold outsized pricing leverage. North Carolina has been an active target for FTC scrutiny of hospital consolidation.

Received a bill? Check it for errors → Estimate YOUR cost before you go → Managing more than one bill? See the family tracker →

Why prices vary - and what it means for your coverage

A small number of hospitals (3) report prices above $4,754, including ANGEL MEDICAL CENTER at $6,020, which drives most of the overall spread - excluding them, most facilities cluster in a much tighter band. Setting matters too: the median outpatient price is $1,959 versus $736 inpatient, so where a procedure happens often matters more than which hospital you pick.

None of the prices above are what you'll necessarily owe: your deductible, out-of-pocket maximum, and each provider's network status all still apply.

Your situation Estimated out-of-pocket
Deductible not yet met ~$1,959
Deductible met - 20% coinsurance ~$392
Out-of-network provider $4,310+

Frequently asked questions: nuclear stress test costs in North Carolina

How much does a nuclear stress test cost in North Carolina?

The typical insurer-negotiated rate is $478, with most facilities between $276 and $873 (based on 68 hospitals reporting negotiated rates). Posted cash prices at the middle 80% of North Carolina hospitals run $380–$2,931; outlier facilities above and below that range are left out. What you pay depends on the facility, your insurance, and whether you have met your deductible.

Where is the cheapest place to get a nuclear stress test in North Carolina?

Based on declared prices, the lowest posted price in our North Carolina data is THE MOSES H. CONE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL OPERATING CORPORATION in Reidsville at about $506. By metro, Greensboro has the lowest median ($506).

Why is a nuclear stress test so much cheaper at some North Carolina hospitals?

Typical prices vary about 3.2× (25th to 70th percentile of negotiated rates) because each hospital sets its own list price, cash discount, and insurer-negotiated rates. In North Carolina, the median cash (self-pay) price is $1,959 versus a median negotiated rate of $1,808 - about 1.1× higher. Asking for the cash price as well as your insurer's negotiated rate is often the single biggest lever on what you pay.

How much will I actually pay out of pocket for a nuclear stress test in North Carolina?

Your out-of-pocket cost depends on your deductible, coinsurance, out-of-pocket maximum, and whether the facility is in-network - not just the sticker price. If you have not met your deductible, you will typically pay the negotiated rate in full until you do. Use the CostKits cost forecaster to estimate your specific out-of-pocket amount before you go.

Before you book

Other procedures in North Carolina

Nuclear Stress Test, elsewhere

CostKits compiles hospital price transparency data to help families make informed decisions. Track and manage your healthcare costs (free account).

Other Procedure Costs in North Carolina

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Imaging and scans

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Scopes and screening

Bone, joint and pain

General surgery

Lab tests

Ear, nose and throat

Urology and women's health

Eye care

Infusions

Emergency care

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About the Author

John Caruso, FSA, MAAA

Healthcare actuary with 20+ years of experience in insurance pricing, medical billing systems, and healthcare cost analytics.

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Published October 29, 2026 · Updated October 29, 2026

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