How much does a PET scan cost?
What a PET scan costs depends on who is paying. Without insurance, the figure to use is a hospital's cash price, and the hospitals below publish theirs. For people on Medicare, what Medicare pays for a PET-CT scan from skull base to mid-thigh in 2026 averages $1,569 in total at a hospital outpatient department, of which the patient pays about $313, or $893 at an ambulatory surgical center with the patient paying about $178, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; that is the government's rate for Medicare patients, and a private plan or a cash payer is charged its own price. There is no national figure for what private insurance pays: FAIR Health's consumer cost lookup, the nearest thing to one, gives estimates only for a ZIP code you enter, so it is not quoted here. It depends on how much of the body is scanned, on whether a CT is taken in the same session, and on the hospital. For the most common PET scan, a PET/CT from the skull base to mid-thigh, CPT 78815, Boston Medical Center publishes a gross charge of $6,214.00 and a cash price of $2,796.30 in its file dated 13 March 2026. The University of Chicago Medical Center publishes $15,173.00 for the same code, as the same figure for a cash payer as for a list price, in its file dated 1 April 2026. Franklin Memorial Hospital publishes no list or cash price for any PET code, and publishes instead what each named health plan pays it: for the facility side of the same scan, Franklin Memorial Hospital lists $1,375.54 for Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare and $6,332.35 for Anthem. The radiologist who reads the scan is a separate line, and the radioactive tracer is priced as its own line too.
$6,214.00 list, $2,796.30 cash
CPT 78815, PET/CT skull base to mid-thigh, at one hospital on 13 March 2026
$15,173.00
the same code at a second hospital, list and cash alike, on 1 April 2026
$112.15 to $228.42
what named health plans pay a third hospital for the radiologist reading the same scan
$1,569
what Medicare pays in total, Medicare patients only, a PET-CT scan from skull base to mid-thigh, hospital outpatient, 2026
$893
what Medicare pays in total, Medicare patients only, a PET-CT scan from skull base to mid-thigh, ambulatory surgical center, 2026
Cost breakdown
Each table below comes from one source, named underneath it, with the date that source last revised the figures. Everything is a United States figure in USD.
PET scan codes at Boston Medical Center, from its file last updated 13 March 2026
| Code | Description, as the file prints it | Gross charge | Cash price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78811 | HC Chg Pet Imaging Limited Area Chest Head/Neck | $5,256.00 | $2,365.20 |
| 78812 | HC Chg Pet Imaging Skull Base to Mid-Thigh | $5,868.00 | $2,640.60 |
| 78813 | HC Chg Pet Imaging Whole Body | $5,868.00 | $2,640.60 |
| 78814 | HC Pet&CT Att Corr;Lim | $5,868.00 | $2,640.60 |
| 78815 | HC Chg Pet Imaging CT Attenuation Skull Base Mid-Thigh | $6,214.00 | $2,796.30 |
| 78816 | HC Chg Pet Imaging for CT Attenuation Whole Body | $7,128.00 | $3,207.60 |
| 78608 | HC Chg Brain Imaging Pet Metabolic Evaluation | $5,868.00 | $2,640.60 |
| 78609 | HC Chg Brain Imaging Pet Perfusion Evaluation | $6,564.00 | $2,953.80 |
| 78459 | HC Chg Myocardial Imaging Pet Metabolic Evaluation | $6,538.00 | $2,942.10 |
| 78491 | HC Chg Myocrd Image Pet Perfus Single Study Rest/Stress | $5,868.00 | $2,640.60 |
| 78492 | HC Chg Myocrd Image Pet Perfus Multpl Study Rest/Stress | $5,868.00 | $2,640.60 |
| A9552 | HC F-18 Fdg 45 Mci per Dose | $1,015.00 | $456.75 |
PET scan facility charges at The University of Chicago Medical Center, from its file last updated 1 April 2026
| Code | Description, as the file prints it | Gross charge | Cash price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78814 | Hc Pet Image W/Ct Lmtd | $4,100.00 | $4,100.00 |
| 78815 | Hc Pet Tumor Imaging Pet With Concurrent Ct Skull Base To Mid Thigh, and eighteen more lines by cancer type | $15,173.00 | $15,173.00 |
| 78816 | Hc Pet Tumor Imaging With Concurrent Ct Whole Body, and three more lines for melanoma | $17,687.00 | $17,687.00 |
| 78608 | Hc Pet Metabolic Brain Imaging Evaluation, and two more lines | $8,932.00 | $8,932.00 |
| 78609 | Hc Brain Imaging; Pet, Perfusion Evaluation | $9,362.00 | $9,362.00 |
| A9552 | Hc F-18 Fdg Per Study Dose Up To 45Mci | $737.00 | $737.00 |
| A9552 | Hc F-18 Fdg Per Study Dose To 45Mci Resch | $206.00 | $206.00 |
What named health plans pay Franklin Memorial Hospital for CPT 78815, from its file last updated 9 September 2025
| Health plan, as the file names it | What the line covers | Rate agreed |
|---|---|---|
| Anthem, HMO/POS/PPO Pathway Enhanced | Facility, outpatient | $6,332.35 |
| Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare, Commercial | Facility, outpatient | $1,375.54 |
| Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare, Maine's Choice | Facility, outpatient | $1,375.54 |
| Community Health Options, Commercial | Radiologist reading, modifier 26 | $228.42 |
| Anthem, HMO/POS/PPO Pathway Enhanced | Radiologist reading, modifier 26 | $223.11 |
| Aetna, MHACO Commercial | Radiologist reading, modifier 26 | $222.55 |
| United Healthcare, Commercial | Radiologist reading, modifier 26 | $214.62 |
| Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare, Commercial | Radiologist reading, modifier 26 | $213.95 |
| Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare, Maine's Choice | Radiologist reading, modifier 26 | $213.95 |
| Multiplan, Commercial | Radiologist reading, modifier 26 | $203.89 |
| Aetna, HMO/PPO | Radiologist reading, modifier 26 | $152.26 |
| Anthem, Medicare Advantage | Radiologist reading, modifier 26 | $128.97 |
| United Healthcare, Medicare Advantage | Radiologist reading, modifier 26 | $128.97 |
| Wellcare, Medicare Advantage | Radiologist reading, modifier 26 | $128.97 |
| Aetna, Medicare Advantage | Radiologist reading, modifier 26 | $112.15 |
| Aetna, MHACO Government | Radiologist reading, modifier 26 | $112.15 |
Why PET prices look so different from one page to the next
| What you will find | What it is |
|---|---|
| A page about Medicare and PET scans | Three of the first ten results on this search are about Medicare coverage. They answer whether a scan is covered, and what a plan pays is a separate question |
| A price for a PET/CT scanner | One of the first ten results prices the machine a hospital buys. It is not what a patient is charged for a scan |
| A single self-pay figure from an imaging centre | A real price for a real scan at one provider. It is not the same purchase as a hospital outpatient PET/CT, and nothing obliges a centre that is not a hospital to publish it |
| The figures on this page | Three named hospitals quoting their own federal filings, each with the code, the billing class where the file states one, and the date the hospital attested to |
What Medicare pays for PET scan, 2026, for Medicare patients only: the total and the patient's share
| Procedure | Code | Hospital outpatient total | Patient pays | Surgical center total | Patient pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PET with CT, skull base to mid-thigh | 78815 | $1,569 | $313 | $893 | $178 |
A bar for each row of the table above, 12 of them, drawn to the same scale so the spread is visible at a glance. The figure beside each bar is the one the table prints.
What changes the price
- How much of the body is scanned
- This is the code. At Boston Medical Center a limited-area PET/CT, CPT 78814, is $5,868.00, skull base to mid-thigh is $6,214.00, and the whole body is $7,128.00. The University of Chicago Medical Center publishes $4,100.00, $15,173.00 and $17,687.00 for the same three codes.
- Whether a CT is taken in the same session
- A PET scan on its own and a PET scan with a CT are different codes. Boston Medical Center publishes $5,868.00 for the skull base to mid-thigh scan without CT, CPT 78812, and $6,214.00 with it, CPT 78815.
- Which hospital
- The same PET/CT, CPT 78815, is $6,214.00 at Boston Medical Center and $15,173.00 at The University of Chicago Medical Center, both as list prices in their own dated files. Franklin Memorial Hospital publishes no list price for it at all.
- Whether anyone is paying on your behalf
- Boston Medical Center publishes a cash price below its list price on every PET code, at $2,796.30 for CPT 78815. The University of Chicago Medical Center publishes the same figure in both columns. Franklin Memorial Hospital publishes only what plans pay it, and for the facility side of the same scan that runs from $1,375.54 for Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare to $6,332.35 for Anthem.
- The tracer
- The radioactive tracer is priced as its own line. Boston Medical Center publishes $1,015.00 for an FDG dose with a cash price of $456.75, and The University of Chicago Medical Center publishes $737.00.
- The radiologist
- The reading is billed separately from the scan. Franklin Memorial Hospital publishes what named plans pay for it on CPT 78815, from $112.15 for Aetna Medicare Advantage to $228.42 for Community Health Options.
How to pay less
- Ask for the code before you ask for the price
- A limited scan, a skull base to mid-thigh scan and a whole-body scan are three codes at three prices, with or without a CT. Asking for the price of "a PET scan" gets an answer to a question nobody is billing you for.
- Ask for the cash price by name
- Boston Medical Center publishes a cash price for CPT 78815 of $2,796.30 against a list price of $6,214.00. The University of Chicago Medical Center publishes no discount, so the question is worth asking and the answer is worth checking against the file.
- Ask whether the tracer and the reading are in the quote
- Both are separate lines in these files. A quote for the scan alone may leave out two further charges.
- Check what your plan pays as well as whether it covers the scan
- Where a hospital publishes plan rates, the difference between plans for the same scan can be large. Franklin Memorial Hospital lists $1,375.54 for Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare and $6,332.35 for Anthem on the facility side of the same code, and your share is worked out from your plan's figure.
- Compare code against code
- A PET/CT from skull base to mid-thigh is CPT 78815 wherever it is done, and comparing 78815 against 78815 compares something. Comparing "a PET scan" at one hospital with "a PET scan" at another may compare two different scans.
Questions
How much does a PET scan cost with Medicare?
Medicare's national average total for a PET-CT scan from skull base to mid-thigh in 2026 is $1,569 in a hospital outpatient department, with the patient paying $313 on average, or $893 in an ambulatory surgical center, with the patient paying $178, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. With a private plan, your cost depends on its negotiated rate and your deductible; without insurance, ask for the cash price, which the hospital files on this page publish.
How much does a PET scan cost?
It depends on the code and the hospital. For a PET/CT from the skull base to mid-thigh, CPT 78815, Boston Medical Center publishes $6,214.00 with a cash price of $2,796.30, and The University of Chicago Medical Center publishes $15,173.00, each in its own dated and attested file. Franklin Memorial Hospital publishes no list price for it.
How much is a PET scan without insurance?
That is the discounted cash price where a hospital publishes one. Boston Medical Center does, at $2,796.30 for CPT 78815. The University of Chicago Medical Center publishes the same figure for cash as for the list price, $15,173.00, so paying cash buys no discount on the published number there.
How much does a PET scan cost with insurance?
What you pay is your share of whatever your plan has agreed with the hospital, and some hospitals publish that agreed figure by plan. Franklin Memorial Hospital publishes $1,375.54 for Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare and $6,332.35 for Anthem on the facility side of CPT 78815.
What do Medicare Advantage plans pay for a PET scan?
This page has one hospital's answer for the reading only. Franklin Memorial Hospital publishes $128.97 for the radiologist reading of CPT 78815 under Anthem, United Healthcare and Wellcare Medicare Advantage plans, and $112.15 under Aetna Medicare Advantage. It publishes no Medicare Advantage rate for the facility side of that scan.
Is a PET scan more expensive than a CT scan?
At Boston Medical Center, yes. Boston Medical Center publishes $6,214.00 for a PET/CT from skull base to mid-thigh, against $3,745.00 for a CT of the abdomen and pelvis with contrast and $1,903.00 for a head CT without contrast, in the same file dated 13 March 2026.
Does the price include the tracer and the radiologist?
No. Both are separate lines. Boston Medical Center prices the FDG tracer at $1,015.00 on its own line, and Franklin Memorial Hospital publishes the radiologist reading of CPT 78815 as a separate professional rate for each plan.
Why does a hospital have to publish this?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services requires every hospital operating in the United States to publish a comprehensive machine-readable file of all items and services and a consumer-friendly display of shoppable services, names imaging among those services, states that it audits a sample of hospitals and investigates complaints, and states that hospitals may face civil monetary penalties for noncompliance.
Where these figures come from
Every figure here is published by the hospital named beside it, in US dollars, in the United States, in its own machine-readable standard charges file under 45 CFR 180.50, and each file carries the attestation that the information encoded is true, accurate and complete as of the date in the file. The dates are the ones the files give themselves: 13 March 2026 for Boston Medical Center, attested by Christopher Abate, 9 September 2025 for Franklin Memorial Hospital, attested by Kenneth Olsen, and 1 April 2026 for The University of Chicago Medical Center, attested by Chris Allen. All three files were downloaded again before this page was written, and each was byte-identical to the copy read on 25 September 2026. BEFORE ANY CODE WAS QUOTED, THE DISTINCT PUBLISHED PRICES FOR IT WERE COUNTED PER CODE AND PER BILLING CLASS. At Boston Medical Center every PET code carries one price. At The University of Chicago Medical Center CPT 78815 sits on nineteen lines and all nineteen carry the same price; the tracer sits on two lines at two prices and both are shown. Franklin Memorial Hospital publishes no gross or cash price for any PET code, so its figures are the rates it has agreed with named plans, which are what the plan pays the hospital and not what a patient owes. Boston Medical Center publishes no billing_class column, so its rows are labelled unlabelled rather than assumed to be facility charges. Nothing here is averaged, turned into a ratio or restated as a typical cost, and three hospitals are three hospitals rather than a national picture.