Abdominal Ultrasound (complete): what it covers and what it costs
What does an Abdominal Ultrasound (complete) cost? Across 39 major U.S. metros, the typical insurer-negotiated price for an Abdominal Ultrasound (CPT 76700) runs from about $89 in Indianapolis, IN to $1,264 in Pittsburgh, PA, read from hospitals' own price-transparency files. 23 of those metros have at least one hospital publishing a self-pay cash price. This page explains what the billing code covers, what the quoted price does and does not include, and what actually drives the spread between hospitals. These are price references from public data — not a quote, a bill, or medical or financial advice.
These figures are aggregated from hospitals' public price-transparency files — not a quote, a bill, an insurance benefit determination, or medical advice. Your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your insurance plan (deductible, copay, coinsurance, network), the exact service and any complications, and which hospital you use. Always confirm price and coverage with the hospital and your insurer before care.
What an Abdominal Ultrasound price actually covers
A complete abdominal ultrasound uses sound waves to image the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, pancreas, spleen, kidneys and the upper abdominal aorta. "Complete" is a billing term: it requires that all of those structures be examined and documented.
Code scope. 76700 = complete abdominal ultrasound. A limited single-organ study (e.g., right-upper-quadrant/gallbladder) is 76705.
What is — and isn't — in the price
The price usually covers the sonographer's scanning time and the equipment. The interpreting physician's fee is often separate. No contrast or radiation is involved, which is part of why ultrasound sits well below CT and MRI on every hospital's list.
Why Abdominal Ultrasound prices differ so much between hospitals
The complete study and the "limited" study — which examines a single organ or region, most often the right upper quadrant for gallbladder symptoms — are different codes, and the limited version is meaningfully cheaper. Hospitals publish both, and which one is performed depends on what the order specifies.
What else usually lands on the bill
A limited abdominal ultrasound covers a single region and is cheaper. Doppler studies of abdominal vessels are separate add-on codes. If findings prompt a CT, that is an additional study on the same day.
What to ask before you book
Ask whether the order is for a complete or a limited abdominal ultrasound. If the question is specifically about the gallbladder, a limited study may be what is actually performed and billed.
Where the money actually moves
Ultrasound is already among the cheapest cross-sectional imaging, but the complete and limited codes differ meaningfully. Ask which the clinical question actually requires before booking the more expensive one.
What the Abdominal Ultrasound numbers show nationally
A Abdominal Ultrasound costs 14.3× as much in Pittsburgh as in Indianapolis
Across the 39 metros priced here, the typical negotiated rate runs from $89 in Indianapolis, IN to $1,264 in Pittsburgh, PA — the same billing codes, the same procedure, 1328% apart.
The individual hospitals reporting the lowest and highest Abdominal Ultrasound prices
Lowest: ALLIANCE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM (Memphis, TN) at $1; CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF ALABAMA (Birmingham, AL) at $49; HARPER UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (Detroit, MI) at $50. Highest: CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER (Los Angeles, CA) at $2,144; RESEARCH MEDICAL CENTER (Kansas City, MO) at $2,115; SHARP MEMORIAL HOSPITAL (San Diego, CA) at $1,679. These are the figures each hospital published in its own file, not an assessment of the care.
23 of 39 metros have a hospital publishing a self-pay Abdominal Ultrasound price
Cheapest published cash price: $292 (Austin). A cash price is what the hospital will accept from someone paying directly; it is not required and many never publish one.
Insurers pay about 82% below the list price for an Abdominal Ultrasound
Across the 33 metros publishing both, the chargemaster list price is typically 82% above what insurers negotiate. The widest gap is in Kansas City: $6,194 list against $183 negotiated.
How many hospitals actually publish an Abdominal Ultrasound price
248 hospital price-file entries across 39 metros feed this page. A hospital appears only where its own file lists a rate for CPT 76700 — where it does not, it is absent from the table rather than filled in with a guess.
Abdominal Ultrasound price by metro
The typical insurer-negotiated price for a Abdominal Ultrasound, by metro — lowest first. 23 of these 39 metros have at least one hospital publishing a self-pay cash price; 34 publish a chargemaster list price. Open a metro for its full hospital-by-hospital breakdown and who those hospitals are.
| Metro | Typical negotiated | Range | Cash | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis, IN | $89 | $67–$116 | $364 | 4 |
| Detroit, MI | $104 | $50–$187 | $509 | 6 |
| Memphis, TN | $119 | $1–$365 | — | 4 |
| Raleigh, NC | $123 | $123–$252 | $554 | 3 |
| Buffalo, NY | $130 | $94–$179 | — | 3 |
| New York, NY | $131 | $113–$388 | $312 | 7 |
| Sacramento, CA | $149 | $133–$149 | $991 | 4 |
| San Francisco, CA | $149 | $149–$453 | $991 | 7 |
| Riverside, CA | $149 | $83–$403 | $992 | 6 |
| Tampa, FL | $150 | $117–$188 | — | 6 |
| Cleveland, OH | $150 | $99–$301 | $477 | 8 |
| Portland, OR | $151 | $121–$428 | — | 8 |
| Kansas City, MO | $183 | $183–$2,115 | — | 7 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $189 | $117–$2,144 | $1,191 | 5 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $190 | $113–$468 | $303 | 10 |
| Atlanta, GA | $204 | $116–$1,433 | $581 | 9 |
| Nashville, TN | $206 | $168–$295 | — | 9 |
| Hartford, CT | $210 | $125–$293 | — | 4 |
| Orlando, FL | $228 | $195–$280 | — | 3 |
| Seattle, WA | $233 | $132–$1,241 | $630 | 8 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $236 | $236 | $897 | 3 |
| St. Louis, MO | $241 | $103–$544 | $573 | 7 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $260 | $119–$1,492 | $590 | 15 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $323 | $113–$512 | — | 3 |
| Denver, CO | $351 | $219–$834 | $685 | 10 |
| Washington, DC | $357 | $272–$748 | $867 | 8 |
| Austin, TX | $456 | $112–$854 | $292 | 9 |
| Dallas, TX | $488 | $155–$732 | $799 | 10 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $522 | $521–$528 | — | 6 |
| San Jose, CA | $559 | $149–$790 | — | 3 |
| Houston, TX | $561 | $449–$806 | — | 6 |
| Birmingham, AL | $567 | $49–$1,241 | — | 10 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $568 | $134–$865 | $719 | 8 |
| Baltimore, MD | $865 | $751–$1,138 | — | 4 |
| San Antonio, TX | $941 | $97–$1,054 | — | 3 |
| San Diego, CA | $946 | $134–$1,679 | $1,400 | 6 |
| Miami, FL | $1,032 | $110–$1,574 | — | 4 |
| Chicago, IL | $1,086 | $972–$1,205 | $735 | 3 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $1,264 | $112–$1,542 | $1,970 | 5 |
Source: hospitals' own machine-readable Standard Charges files, published under the U.S. Hospital Price Transparency rule (45 CFR §180.50). Most recent hospital file in this dataset: July 2026. Prices are references, not quotes or bills, and never medical or financial advice — where a hospital reports no price, nothing is shown rather than a guess.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does an Abdominal Ultrasound cost?
- Across 39 U.S. metros the typical insurer-negotiated price is about $233, ranging from $89 in Indianapolis to $1,264 in Pittsburgh. Every figure is read from a named hospital's own price-transparency file for CPT 76700.
- Does the price include the doctor's fee?
- The price usually covers the sonographer's scanning time and the equipment. The interpreting physician's fee is often separate. No contrast or radiation is involved, which is part of why ultrasound sits well below CT and MRI on every hospital's list.
- Why do Abdominal Ultrasound prices differ so much between hospitals?
- The complete study and the "limited" study — which examines a single organ or region, most often the right upper quadrant for gallbladder symptoms — are different codes, and the limited version is meaningfully cheaper. Hospitals publish both, and which one is performed depends on what the order specifies.