PET/CT scan cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 15 hospitals list a cash price for PET/CT scan from the base of the skull to mid-thigh: from $1,350.30 to $12,805.80, with a median of $8,959.86. The lowest listed price is at Armstrong County Memorial Hospital — $7,609.56 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $7,245.60 at 80 hospitals.
- The median here, $8,959.86, is 102% above the US median of $4,426.00.
- That is 6.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($1,460.92).
- Pittsburgh, PA ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Pennsylvania by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 10 cities for code 78815, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 12, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2026 and Oct 28, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armstrong County Memorial Hospital lowest Kittanning, PA PYLARIFY PET/CT SKULL/THIGH+1 more line at this price File of Mar 2, 2026 · source file | $1,350.30 | $4,501.00 | $500.00–$4,501.00 | 70% |
| Armstrong County Memorial Hospital Kittanning, PA TUMOR IMAG PET/CT, SKULL-THIGH File of Mar 2, 2026 · source file | $2,869.80 | $9,566.00 | $500.00–$9,566.00 | 70% |
| Uniontown Hospital Uniontown, PA · (724) 430-5000 PET IMAGE W/CT SKULL-THIGH File of Jul 9, 2026 · source file | $3,191.00 | $6,382.00 | $82.61–$3,229.36 | 50% |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 GALLIUM68 PET/CT SKULL-THIGH I+2 more lines at this price File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $3,618.00 | $6,030.00 | $1,622.07–$7,389.76 | 40% |
| UPMC Washington Washington, PA · (724) 225-7000 PET/CT SKULL-THIGH INITIAL-E+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $4,106.55 | $5,866.50 | $1,042.94–$4,223.88 | 30% |
| UPMC Passavant - McCandless Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 367-6700 HC TUMOR IMAGE PET/CT SKULL-THIGH File of Mar 7, 2026 · source file | $8,008.80 | $13,348.00 | $777.05–$20,166.18 | 40% |
| Allegheny Valley Hospital Natrona Heights, PA · (412) 224-5100 HC PET IMAGE W/CT SKULL-THIGH File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $8,844.99 | $11,487.00 | $907.59–$4,432.90 | 23% |
| Canonsburg General Hospital Canonsburg, PA · (724) 745-6100 HC PET IMAGE W/CT SKULL-THIGH File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $8,959.86 | $11,487.00 | $902.81–$4,416.55 | 22% |
| Forbes Hospital Monroeville, PA · (412) 858-2000 HC PET IMAGE W/CT SKULL-THIGH File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $8,959.86 | $11,487.00 | $801.64–$14,379.64 | 22% |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 578-5000 HC PET IMAGE W/CT SKULL-THIGH File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $9,316.99 | $12,763.00 | $998.37–$4,923.63 | 27% |
| UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 641-4010 HC TUMOR IMAGE PET/CT SKULL-THIGH File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $9,591.60 | $15,986.00 | $815.05–$19,651.71 | 40% |
| Allegheny General Hospital Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 359-3131 HC PET IMAGE W/CT SKULL-THIGH File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $9,699.88 | $12,763.00 | $981.81–$4,890.93 | 24% |
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PA · (412) 469-5000 HC PET IMAGE W/CT SKULL-THIGH File of Oct 28, 2026 · source file | $9,821.25 | $12,125.00 | $655.01–$4,596.48 | 19% |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 PET W/CT SKULL-THIGH(INITIAL) File of Feb 2, 2026 · source file | $10,594.80 | $17,658.00 | $4,750.00–$21,639.88 | 40% |
| Butler Memorial Hospital Butler, PA PET/CT Skul Bas Thig Sb 78815+1 more line at this price File of Jan 1, 2026 · source file | $10,641.40 | $15,202.00 | $2,842.77–$15,962.10 | 30% |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 TUMOR IMAGE PET/CT SKULL-THIGH File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $12,570.60 | $20,951.00 | $1,437.96–$22,449.68 | 40% |
| UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 692-5325 TUMOR IMAGE PET/CT SKULL-THIGH File of Mar 6, 2026 · source file | $12,805.80 | $21,343.00 | $1,100.00–$19,208.70 | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $1,350.30, median $8,959.86, highest $12,805.80 — a 9.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $8,959.86. 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 10 of 15 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 PET/CT scan is, what the price covers and why prices differ: PET/CT scan explained.