DXA Bone Density price: Medicare anchor and facility lever
Anchor for DXA Bone Density - CPT 77080
$38.75
Professional (26) $9.50 plus technical (TC) $29.25.
Hospital OPPS facility anchor, this code billed alone: $106.81 (APC 5522, Level 2 Imaging without Contrast; national unadjusted, before wage-index adjustment).
A DXA bone density study is a small anchor with a large difference between how Medicare and a self-pay patient experience it. For people with Medicare who meet the conditions, the test is covered once every 24 months with no cost when the provider accepts assignment. For a cash patient, the setting still decides the price.
CPT code
77080
Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), bone density study, 1 or more sites; axial skeleton (for example hips, pelvis, spine)
CPT 77080 is the axial DXA study. A peripheral study (for example heel or forearm) is 77081. Confirm which sites will be measured before you compare quotes.
The codes this visit can be billed under
| CPT | PFS office or global | PFS facility (professional) | Global period | Hospital single-service APC | Minimum Medicare copay at hospital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77080 (this page) | $38.75 | $38.75 | not a surgical global | $106.81 (APC 5522) | $0.00 |
| 77081 | $31.34 | $31.34 | not a surgical global | $88.91 (APC 5521) | $0.00 |
The CY2026 OPPS Addendum B lists 77080 at APC 5522, $106.81, with a beneficiary copayment of $0.00, which lines up with the Medicare.gov rule that you pay nothing for a covered bone mass measurement when the provider accepts assignment. The peripheral study, 77081, maps to APC 5521.
At an office or imaging center the global anchor is $38.75 for the axial study, well below the hospital single-service APC amount. For a self-pay patient that gap is the largest proportional setting difference on this page set.
The axial study's professional component is $9.50 of its $38.75 global anchor, so most of the anchor is technical. For a self-pay patient that technical work is what a hospital bills as its facility payment of $106.81 single-service APC, while an office includes it in the much smaller global amount. Ask for the office or imaging-center price in writing if the order allows a choice of setting.
The peripheral study, 77081, is paid in a hospital through APC 5521 at $88.91, with a Medicare copayment listed as $0.00; CMS Addendum B lists both 77080 and 77081 with status indicator S.
Inside and outside the 77080 anchor
Covered by the anchor
- DXA scan acquisition for the axial sites ordered
- Interpreting physician interpretation and written report
- Standard image and data storage
Billed outside it
- A peripheral-site study billed under 77081
- The ordering visit and follow-up visit
- Repeat studies billed on a later date
Why prices vary for CPT 77080
DXA is a low-anchor imaging service, so the dollar gap between settings is smaller than for MRI or CT. A hospital bills the single-service imaging APC plus the professional fee, while an office or imaging center usually bills one global amount. Confirm the all-in price in writing before service.
Ask for one global cash price for CPT 77080 at an office or imaging center, and compare it with the hospital outpatient quote for the same code.
Questions specific to Bone density (DXA)
- Is the study axial (77080, hip and spine) or peripheral (77081)?
- For Medicare patients: has it been at least 24 months since the last covered study?
- Is the reading physician included in the cash price?
- Is the location hospital-based, which adds a facility amount?
- Will the facility bill the axial study alone, or also a peripheral study (77081)?
DXA Bone Density: billing questions
Does Medicare charge for a bone density test?
Medicare.gov says Part B covers a bone mass measurement once every 24 months, or more often if medically necessary, for people who meet certain conditions, and you pay nothing if the provider accepts assignment.
Why is the hospital anchor so much higher than the office anchor?
A hospital is paid the single-service imaging APC for 77080, which is a larger amount than the full global fee schedule amount an office bills. For a cash patient, asking for the office or imaging-center price is the main lever.
What is 77081?
77081 is a peripheral DXA study, for example of the forearm or heel. It has its own anchors and maps to a lower hospital APC than 77080.
Does Medicare charge a hospital copayment for a covered DXA study?
The CY2026 OPPS Addendum B lists a $0.00 beneficiary copayment for 77080, consistent with Medicare.gov's statement that you pay nothing for a covered bone mass measurement when the provider accepts assignment. Coverage conditions and frequency limits still apply.