Pulmonary Function Test Cost

Typical costs:

• For patients without insurance, pulmonary function tests typically cost $40-$800 total, depending on how many and which tests are ordered by a physician. According to Health Care Blue Book^[1] , an online health care price estimator, $42 is the average cost of a spirometry test, but it might not include the cost of an office visit, which typically costs $25-$100. Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center^[2] , in Lincoln, NE, charges $240-$569 for spirometry testing; a lung function test is $129 and a monoxide diffusing capacity test is $456.
• For patients with medical insurance, pulmonary function tests might be covered at 80%-100%. Typically, if a doctor deems a pulmonary function test necessary, the medical insurance provider will cover it.

• During a spirometry test, a patient breathes into a mouthpiece that is connected to a spirometer. The spirometer records the amount and rate of air inhaled and exhaled during specific periods of time.
• Lung volume measurement tests are done typically two different ways. In one style of test, the patient sits in a clear box the size of a telephone booth, and breathes into a mouthpiece. Changes in pressure in the box are used to calculate lung volume. In another testing method, the patient breathes in helium or nitrogen and the concentration of the gas is measured to calculate lung volume.
• In a diffusion capacity test, a patient breathes gas for a short time. The concentration of the gas exhaled is measured to determine how effectively gas travels from the lungs into the blood.
• Medicine Plus^[3] , a service of the National Library of Medicine, provides details on what to expect from the different pulmonary function tests and how to prepare for them.

• The cost of an office visit to a physician might be added to the cost of a pulmonary function test. Expect an office visit to cost $25-$100.

• Medical insurance may cover the cost of a pulmonary function test. Contact an insurance provider for specific coverage details.
• The COPD Foundation has a Mobile Spirometry Unit^[4] that offers free testing of pulmonary function.
• Health fairs frequently offer a variety of free pulmonary function tests. Health Fairs of America^[5] includes pulmonary function testing at health fair events.

• The COPD Foundation provides useful information^[6] on who should seek pulmonary function testing and what to expect with the tests.
• The American Lung Association provides a fact sheet^[7] on COPD.
• WebMD provides extensive information^[8] on various types of COPD diagnostic tests including pulmonary function tests.

1.  healthcarebluebook.com/page_Results.aspx?id=201&dataset=MD&g=Breathing%20Capacity%...
2.  tp.chi.acelogicus.net/nese/Default.aspx
3.  www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003853.htm
4.  www.copdfoundation.org/Programs/MobileSpirometryUnit.aspx
5.  www.vsamerica.com/screenings/os/
6.  www.copdfoundation.org/COPDYou/AboutCOPD/GettingTested.aspx
7.  www.lung.org/lung-disease/copd/resources/facts-figures/COPD-Fact-Sheet.html
8.  www.webmd.com/lung/copd/diagnostic-tests

Check Out All Costs for Health & Personal Care		How Much Do Dentures Cost?		How Much Does a Knee Brace Cost?		How Much Does an Emergency Room Visit Cost?

Today's Featured Cost Articles

In case signing up was a resolution, we cover the cost of diet plans. Need help uncovering your driveway? You may need a snow removal service. The CDC recommends it is more important than ever to get a flu shot this year. Be ready if the worst weather hits -- a portable generator means fewer power outages. Garden all winter long with an indoor greenhouse.

About CostHelper

CostHelper is based in Silicon Valley and provides consumers with unbiased price information about thousands of goods and services. Our writers are experienced journalists who adhere to our strict editorial ethics policy.

CostHelper Community

Radiologist Fee Paid: 350.00 Any radiologist reading your mammogram will be at least $350. They have 11-13 years of training after high school before they begin work. If they are not board certified, watch out. Most are and it beats getting cancer... [more] -Lowes Fan Mammogram Cost DIY Ceiling Paid: 50.00 We bought a house with a cheap paint job. The ceilings were sprayed the same color as the walls. During COVID I painted the ceilings and a bathroom. A 120 square foot room took me about 4 hours (2 coats)... [more] -Lowes Fan Painting an Interior Cost DIY vs Installed Small Deck Paid: 3000.00 We paid $1300 for materials and $1700 for labor on a 100 square foot composite deck plus a redwood gate. It took 30 hours, done last year. My husband built a 100 sf heart redwood deck for about $1000 in materials in 2019... [more] -Lowe's Fan Redwood Deck Cost Colposcopy with biopsy Paid: 756.00 This service was wayy to expensive in my opinion. For a 20-25 minute total visit I had to pay out of pocked 756 - 187 to OBGYN, 229 to pathologist, then 340$ for facility fee or the hospital. I don't even know what that charge was for... [more] -D S Colposcopy Cost Bilateral Diagnostic Mammogram and Third Mammogram Paid: 1389.66 My 2021 bill, still in shock! Weill Cornell, in-network provider, billed my insurance $908 for a bilateral diagnostic mammogram, and $712 for a third mammogram one breast... [more] -GinaF Mammogram Cost shoulder mri Paid: 8000.00 Seriously, 8K for an MRI before all the secret insurance kicks in. I was stuck with a 1200 bill and my insurance is pretty good. This is insane for a 20 minute procedure with no nurse assistance... [more] -stevej45 MRI Cost