HIDA scan cost in Pittsburgh, PA — inpatient
In Pittsburgh, PA, 13 hospitals list a cash price for HIDA scan: nuclear imaging of the liver, bile ducts and gallbladder as an inpatient: from $521.28 to $4,581.00, with a median of $1,832.40. The lowest listed price is at UPMC Washington — $1,311.12 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $1,349.00 at 60 hospitals.
Cash prices at 13 facilities across 8 cities for code 78226, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 6, 2026 and Apr 14, 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 | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPMC Washington lowest Washington, PA HEPATOBILIARY SCAN-E | $521.28 | $868.80 | $608.16 | 40% | — source file |
| West Penn Allegheny Health System INC Wexford, PA HC NM HEPATOBILI SYS IMG W/WO GB IMG | $988.64 | $1,336.00 | $326.41–$606.94 | 26% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA HC HEPATOBIL SYS IMG INC GB | $1,359.00 | $2,265.00 | $815.40–$2,083.80 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Jameson New Castle, PA HEPATOBIL SYS IMG INC GB | $1,359.00 | $2,265.00 | $1,698.75–$1,993.20 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA HC HEPATOBIL SYS IMG INC GB | $1,404.00 | $2,340.00 | $842.40–$2,176.20 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh, PA HEPATOBIL SYS IMG INC GB | $1,663.20 | $2,772.00 | $848.23–$2,494.80 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC McKeesport McKeesport, PA HEPATOBIL SYS IMG INC GB | $1,832.40 | $3,054.00 | $1,059.74–$2,595.90 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA HEPATOBIL SYS IMG INC GB | $2,164.80 | $3,608.00 | $1,443.20–$3,247.20 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| UPMC East Monroeville, PA HEPATOBIL SYS IMG INC GB | $2,619.00 | $4,365.00 | $1,484.10–$3,492.00 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC St Margaret Pittsburgh, PA HEPATOBIL SYS IMG INC GB | $2,640.60 | $4,401.00 | $1,148.66–$3,740.85 | 40% | — source file |
| Highlands Hospital Connellsville, PA NM HEPATOBILIARY | $2,919.00 | $4,865.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA HEPATOBILIARY SCAN | $2,919.00 | $4,865.00 | $2,189.25 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA HEPATOBIL SYS IMG INC GB | $4,581.00 | $7,635.00 | $4,962.75–$6,489.75 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $521.28, median $1,832.40, highest $4,581.00 — a 8.8× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 14 facilities here, median $1,747.80 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 10 of 12 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 3 it is 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 HIDA scan follows a radioactive tracer as the liver takes it up and releases it into the bile ducts, gallbladder and bowel. It is used to look for gallbladder inflammation, a blocked bile duct or a bile leak.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the imaging. The tracer and the reading by a radiologist or nuclear medicine doctor are often billed separately. A scan that also measures how well the gallbladder empties after a medicine is given is billed under a different code (78227).