PET/CT scan cost in Birmingham, AL — inpatient
In Birmingham, AL, 5 hospitals list a cash price for PET/CT scan from the base of the skull to mid-thigh as an inpatient: from $4,591.97 to $21,930.00, with a median of $21,930.00. The lowest listed price is at The Children's Hospital of Alabama — $17,338.03 less than the median here. Across Alabama, the median is $17,932.50 at 8 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 3 cities for code 78815, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 1, 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 Birmingham, AL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Children's Hospital of Alabama lowest Birmingham, AL · (205) 939-9100 HC Pet/CT Skull Base to Mid Thigh | $4,591.97 | $10,678.99 | $7,261.71–$9,611.09 | 57% | — source file |
| The Children's Hospital of Alabama lowest Birmingham, AL · (205) 939-9100 HC Pet/CT Skull Base to Mid Thigh | $4,591.97 | $10,678.99 | $10,678.99 | 57% | — source file |
| Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital Birmingham, AL · (205) 877-1000 Hb Pet Image W/Ct Skull-Thigh - Pt/Ct Bone Skull Base To Mid Thigh | $13,935.00 | $13,935.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Princeton Hospital Birmingham, AL · (205) 783-3800 Hb Pet Image W/Ct Skull-Thigh - Pt/Ct Bone Skull Base To Mid Thigh | $21,930.00 | $21,930.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Walker Hospital Jasper, AL · (205) 387-4000 Hb Pet Image W/Ct Skull-Thigh - Pt/Ct Bone Skull Base To Mid Thigh | $21,930.00 | $21,930.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Baptist Health Shelby Hospital Alabaster, AL · (205) 620-8100 Hb Pet Image W/Ct Skull-Thigh - Pt/Ct Bone Skull Base To Mid Thigh | $21,930.00 | $21,930.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $4,591.97, median $21,930.00, highest $21,930.00 — a 4.8× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $21,930.00 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated and 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 PET/CT scan combines a PET scan, which shows how active cells are after a tracer is injected, with a CT scan that shows anatomy. This code covers the usual area from the base of the skull to mid-thigh. It is mostly used to find, stage and follow cancer.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the combined scan. The radioactive tracer is often billed separately, as is the radiologist's or nuclear medicine doctor's reading.