Thoracic spine CT cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 17 hospitals list a cash price for thoracic spine (mid back) CT scan without contrast: from $469.00 to $3,223.80, with a median of $1,361.40. The lowest listed price is at Uniontown Hospital — $892.40 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $1,231.68 at 91 hospitals.
Cash prices at 17 facilities across 11 cities for code 72128, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 2, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 2, 2026 and Jul 9, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Pittsburgh, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uniontown Hospital lowest Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 CT SCAN OF MIDDLE SPINE WITHOUT CONTRAST File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $469.00 | $938.00 | $35.00–$236.10 | 50% |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 CT CHEST SPINE W/O DYE File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $525.50 | $1,051.00 | $35.00–$236.10 | 50% |
| Armstrong County Memorial Hospital Kittanning, PA CT THORACIC SPINE, UNENHANCED File of Mar 2, 2026 · source file | $567.90 | $1,893.00 | $99.66–$1,893.00 | 70% |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 CT DORSAL SPINE WO/CONTRAST File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $772.20 | $1,287.00 | $346.20–$1,577.22 | 40% |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 CT T SPINE W/O CONT File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $772.20 | $1,287.00 | $433.72–$1,003.86 | 40% |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 CT DORS. SPINE W/O File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $896.03 | $1,280.05 | $76.03–$921.64 | 30% |
| Allegheny Valley Hospital Natrona Heights, PA · (412) 224-5100 HC CT THOR SPINE WO CNTRST File of Apr 14, 2026 · source file | $1,068.76 | $1,388.00 | $66.17–$323.18 | 23% |
| AHN Wexford Hospital Wexford, PA · (412) 295-3319 HC CT THOR SPINE WO CNTRST File of Apr 14, 2026 · source file | $1,084.10 | $1,465.00 | $58.44–$339.88 | 26% |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 578-5000 HC CT THOR SPINE WO CNTRST File of Apr 14, 2026 · source file | $1,125.66 | $1,542.00 | $72.79–$358.96 | 27% |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA · (724) 656-4100 CT THORACIC SPINE WO CON File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $1,361.40 | $2,269.00 | $101.38–$1,996.72 | 40% |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 784-4000 CT THORACIC SPINE WO CON File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $1,740.00 | $2,900.00 | $87.53–$2,465.00 | 40% |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC CT THORACIC SPINE WO CON File of Mar 7, 2026 · source file | $1,795.80 | $2,993.00 | $94.21–$2,544.05 | 40% |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA · (412) 664-2000 CT THORACIC SPINE WO CON File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $1,810.20 | $3,017.00 | $93.97–$2,564.45 | 40% |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA · (412) 357-3000 CT THORACIC SPINE WO CON File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $1,863.00 | $3,105.00 | $101.65–$2,484.00 | 40% |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 232-8111 CT THORACIC SPINE WO CON File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $1,950.00 | $3,250.00 | $84.51–$2,925.00 | 40% |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC CT THORACIC SPINE WO CON File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $2,020.20 | $3,367.00 | $94.88–$3,097.64 | 40% |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 CT THORACIC SPINE WO CON File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $2,937.00 | $4,895.00 | $108.72–$4,160.75 | 40% |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 CT THORACIC SPINE WO CON File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $3,223.80 | $5,373.00 | $101.38–$4,835.70 | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $469.00, median $1,361.40, highest $3,223.80 — a 6.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 18 facilities here, median $1,550.70. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 13 of 17 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
A thoracic spine CT makes detailed pictures of the twelve vertebrae of the mid back. It is used mainly after an injury to look for fractures, and in older adults for compression fractures.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the scan and any contrast dye. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.