DEXA scans in Birmingham

Baptist Health - Princeton Hospital, at 701 Princeton Avenue Southwest in Birmingham, AL, runs DEXA scans for the Birmingham area. Call (205) 783-3000 to schedule your appointment.

Expect a cash-pay range of roughly $99–$250 in Birmingham — the price depends on the clinic and the scan type, since each provider prices independently. Confirm the number with the clinic when you book; most accept HSA and FSA cards.

At most clinics a self-pay body composition scan is open booking: no doctor, no paperwork. The referral question mainly comes up for a bone density study you want billed to insurance; hospital imaging departments in Birmingham may ask for an order either way.

Often, yes, but only for bone density. If a physician in Jefferson County orders the scan as medically necessary, insurance usually covers it. Body composition scans booked for fitness reasons are self-pay in Birmingham, typically $99–$250 depending on the clinic. HSA and FSA cards work for both.

Yes, and safe enough to repeat, which is why Birmingham clients rescan every few months to track progress. The dose is about one-tenth of a chest X-ray, under a normal day of background exposure. It is an open table, not an enclosed tube, and you stay fully clothed.

Four things a scale cannot: body fat percentage overall and by region, lean muscle mass in each limb and your trunk, the visceral fat around your organs, and your bone mineral density. One pass on the table, one report; ask which scans are offered in Birmingham when you book.

Around half an hour door to door at Baptist Health - Princeton Hospital, of which 10-15 minutes is table time. Most clinics email the full report within a day or two.

They are the same thing. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry abbreviates to DXA in clinical notes and to DEXA in everyday use — including on the Birmingham listings above. One test, one machine.