Match the test scope before comparing bone density prices in Korea
A bone density exam is often called a DEXA scan, but a Korean provider quote may refer to central dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, quantitative CT, a peripheral technique, quantitative ultrasound, or another method.
Even within central DEXA, one measurement site and two or more sites belong to different service categories.
Comparing two headline prices without checking the method and sites can therefore compare a narrow exam with a broader one.
This calculator aligns Provider A and Provider B by method, measurement scope, code, and included items, then totals only the patient amounts you enter.
It does not diagnose osteoporosis, interpret a T-score or Z-score, recommend a test, or set a follow-up interval.
What to collect before using the calculator
1. Order or booking instructions
Confirm the purpose, DEXA or QCT method, lumbar-spine or hip sites, and the next date stated by the clinician.
2. Provider billing quote
Ask for the covered, selective-benefit, non-covered, or mixed status and the actual patient cost for the exam, consultation, interpretation, and add-on tests.
3. National screening confirmation
If booking through the Korean national screening program, confirm eligibility and whether the center is designated with NHIS or the screening center.
4. Visit-related costs
Estimate round-trip transport and any companion time or replacement-care cost for one visit.
Leave an unknown amount at KRW 0, but do not interpret zero as a confirmed free service.
Unchecked confirmation boxes produce warnings that you can use as a call checklist for the provider.
How to use the Korean billing-code references
In HIRA service classifications, central DEXA for one site uses HC341 and central DEXA for two or more sites uses HC342.
QCT uses HC343, peripheral QCT uses HC346, radiographic absorptiometry uses HC345, and HC344 covers several other methods such as peripheral DEXA, SXA, and quantitative ultrasound.
These are conversation anchors, not a determination of the code that will appear on your own bill.
Bone density methods, reference codes, and quote details to confirm in Korea| Method entered | Reference code | Confirm with the provider |
|---|
| Central DEXA, one site | HC341 | Exact measurement site |
| Central DEXA, two or more sites | HC342 | Lumbar spine, hip, and other included sites |
| QCT or peripheral QCT | HC343 or HC346 | Central or peripheral equipment and site |
| Other technique | HC344, HC345, or another code | The exact technique and service name |
The site count is a scope check and never a price multiplier.
Enter the provider-confirmed total patient amount because a two-site category is not calculated by simply doubling a one-site quote.
Per-exam, 12-month, and 24-month formulas
Medical cost per exam = confirmed covered or selective-benefit patient cost + non-covered exam fee + consultation + interpretation + add-on tests + other medical costs.
Household cost per exam = medical cost + transport + companion or replacement-care cost.
Period budget = household cost per exam × number of planned exam dates inside that window.
The 12-month window includes the budget start date and excludes the date exactly 12 months later.
The 24-month window uses the same half-open rule, so an exam exactly on the first boundary belongs only to the longer window.
When a monthly sequence reaches a month without the same day, the calculation uses that month’s final day and continues from the adjusted date.
Schedule safety boundary
Selecting a repeat interval does not mean that interval is medically appropriate.
The tool warns when clinician confirmation is missing and never derives timing from a T-score, Z-score, diagnosis, or medication.
Worked example with comparable central DEXA quotes
Assume a budget start date of August 22, 2026, a first exam on September 15, 2026, and a clinician-confirmed 12-month interval.
The plan contains one exam within 12 months and two exams within 24 months.
Worked comparison of two Korean bone density test quotes| Budget item | Provider A | Provider B |
|---|
| Exam, consultation, interpretation, and add-on medical costs | KRW 95,000 | KRW 145,000 |
| Transport and companion cost | KRW 30,000 | KRW 20,000 |
| Household cost per exam | KRW 125,000 | KRW 165,000 |
| 12-month budget | KRW 125,000 | KRW 165,000 |
| 24-month budget | KRW 250,000 | KRW 330,000 |
Provider A is KRW 40,000 lower per exam in this example, and the 24-month difference is KRW 80,000.
The figures are comparable only after both methods, sites, codes, and inclusions have been confirmed, and a lower quote is not a medical recommendation.
Covered care, national screening, and non-covered prices
Korean NHI benefit
Coverage can depend on the clinical purpose, past result, treatment context, facility, and current benefit criteria.
Enter the actual patient amount calculated by the provider rather than applying a universal copay rate.
National health screening
As verified on August 22, 2026, the national standard lists bone density screening for women aged 54, 60, and 66.
Confirm actual eligibility and the designated center with NHIS instead of assuming a zero cost from age alone.
Non-covered service
Check the provider’s disclosed price and ask whether consultation, interpretation, and add-on tests are separate.
HIRA’s public price service is a starting point for matching the item, not a guaranteed final bill.
Articles 41 and 44 of the National Health Insurance Act and Article 19 of its Enforcement Decree establish the broad benefit and patient-share structure, but they do not create one copay percentage for every person.
Article 45 of the Medical Service Act requires providers to disclose non-covered prices and bars charging above the disclosed amount.
These variations are why the calculator has no national average or automatic insurance percentage.
HIRA follow-up criteria are not a personal booking recommendation
HIRA’s bone density FAQ distinguishes an initial adult diagnostic exam, general follow-up billing intervals, normal-density cases, and separate conditions such as long-term steroid use or treatment for hyperparathyroidism.
That material explains Korean reimbursement review criteria; it does not diagnose an individual or replace a clinician’s instruction about when to return.
Use only the next date and interval confirmed in your own care.
Why no result score is entered
Interpreting T-scores, Z-scores, osteoporosis, fracture risk, and treatment response belongs to qualified clinical care.
This calculator records costs and confirmed dates only and never turns a result score into a diagnosis, interval, drug, or testing recommendation.
Practical use cases
- First exam around menopause: confirm whether the booking is national screening or an outpatient diagnostic exam, then compare quotes with the same method and sites.
- Treatment monitoring: enter only the date and interval written by the clinician, and keep medication costs in a separate osteoporosis treatment budget.
- Accompanying a parent: add taxi fares, time off work, or replacement care so the result reflects household cash flow rather than the exam fee alone.
- Changing providers: verify that the prior and new exam use comparable methods and sites, then align consultation and interpretation inclusions before reading the difference.
Frequently asked questions
Does a two-site DEXA always cost twice as much as one site?
No.
The one-site and two-or-more-site categories differ, so enter the total patient quote given by the provider rather than multiplying a unit price.
Is screening automatically free for every woman aged 54, 60, or 66?
The current national standard lists those ages, but actual eligibility and booking at a designated center still require confirmation with NHIS and the center.
The calculator never sets the cost to zero from age alone.
Can I schedule the next exam two years after a normal result?
Do not use a public billing interval as personal medical advice.
Your clinician must consider the prior result, treatment, and clinical context, and the calculator should receive only that confirmed date.
Will the HIRA public price equal my final payment?
Not necessarily.
Use it to identify providers and service names, then confirm the scope, included items, and actual coverage with the provider’s billing office.
Does the result subtract private indemnity insurance?
No.
Payment depends on the policy, enrollment date, clinical purpose, and claim documents, so confirm it separately with the insurer and treat this output as a pre-reimbursement budget.
Official South Korean sources and verification date
The following sources were checked as of August 22, 2026.
Korean notices and screening rules can change, so reconfirm current guidance with the provider and NHIS shortly before booking.
The National Health Insurance Act was verified as ID 001971, MST 276651, effective January 2, 2026, and its Enforcement Decree as ID 002813, MST 283469, effective February 19, 2026.
The Medical Care Benefit Rules were verified as ID 006697, MST 285513, effective April 15, 2026, and the Medical Service Act as ID 001788, MST 285327, effective April 7, 2026.
The current detailed-criteria umbrella is Notice No. 2026-169 effective July 31, 2026, the National Health Screening Standards are Notice No. 2026-6 effective January 7, 2026, and the non-covered disclosure standard is Notice No. 2026-38 effective February 23, 2026.
This South Korea tool deliberately uses no national average because scope and patient eligibility vary; every price starts at zero and must be replaced with a confirmed quote.
- National Health Insurance Act: Articles 41 and 44 on benefits and patient cost sharing.
- National Health Screening Standards: MOHW Notice 2026-6 and Annex 1.
- HIRA bone density test FAQ: reimbursement criteria and the boundary around follow-up timing.
- HIRA non-covered medical price information: provider-level public listings.
- HIRA medical-fee confirmation service: inquiries about whether a non-covered or full patient charge should have been covered.
Next step: save two like-for-like quotes
Ask each provider for the method, measurement sites, actual service code, coverage category, and consultation or interpretation inclusions in the same order.
Enter those amounts and the clinician-confirmed next date to compare both immediate cash needs and the 12- and 24-month household budgets.