Price Comparison Report

PET Scan Whole Body

Durham, NC · 5 facilities · CPT 78816 · September 06, 2026

Summary

5 facilities within 25 miles of Durham publish prices for PET Scan Whole Body. Cash prices range from $2,352 to $3,690 — a 1.6x difference for an identical procedure. The North Carolina average is $5,218.

$2,352 lowest
$3,690 highest
Best Value

Duke University Hospital

Durham, VA · Duke Health · 0.0 mi

$2,352 Cash price
5/5 CMS rating
80.0% Patient satisfaction

Lowest price among hospitals rated 5 stars or above. Patient satisfaction: 80%. Cash price of $2,352 is below the statewide average of $5,218.

All facilities ranked by price

1
Duke University Hospital 5★ · 0.0 mi · For-profit
$2,352
2
Rex Hospital 5★ · 20.8 mi · State government
$3,690
3
Unc Hospitals 5★ · 10.4 mi · State government
$3,690
Complete facility data
# Facility Cash Price Gross Charge Markup CMS Stars Patient Rating Ownership
1 Duke University Hospital Duke Health Durham, NC · 0.0 mi $2,352 $8,711 3.7x 5/5 80.0% For-profit
2 Rex Hospital UNC Health Raleigh, NC · 20.8 mi $3,690 $6,150 1.67x 5/5 80.0% State government
3 Unc Hospitals UNC Health Chapel Hill, NC · 10.4 mi $3,690 $6,150 1.67x 5/5 78.0% State government
4 Wakemed, Raleigh Campus WakeMed Raleigh, NC · 20.8 mi — — — 4/5 71.0% Nonprofit
5 Duke Health Raleigh Hospital Duke Health Raleigh, NC · 19.2 mi — $7,571 — — —

Insurance negotiated rates by facility

The rates below are what each insurer has contractually agreed to pay this hospital for PET Scan Whole Body. Your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your deductible status and copay structure.

Duke University Hospital

Cash: $2,352
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO $1,356 -$996
Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO $1,403 -$949
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage/Medicare Advantage HMO/Medicare Advantage PPO $1,403 -$949
Humana Medicare Advantage $1,403 -$949
UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage $1,403 -$949
Troy Health Medicare Advantage $1,421 -$931
VOANS Medicare Advantage $1,421 -$931
Cigna Medicare Advantage $1,449 -$903
Liberty Medicare Advantage $1,449 -$903
Alliance Health Managed Medicaid $1,970 -$382
AmeriHealth Managed Medicaid $1,970 -$382
Blue Cross Blue Shield Managed Medicaid $1,970 -$382
Carolina Complete Health Managed Medicaid $1,970 -$382
Trillium Managed Medicaid $1,970 -$382
UnitedHealthcare Managed Medicaid $1,970 -$382

10 additional plans not shown.

Rex Hospital

Cash: $3,690
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Blue Cross Blue Shield BLUE HOME $1,072 -$2,618
ALLIANCE MANAGED MEDICAID $1,368 -$2,322
CAROLINA COMPLETE HEALTH MANAGED MEDICAID $1,368 -$2,322
HEALTHY BLUE NORTH CAROLINA MANAGED MEDICAID $1,368 -$2,322
UnitedHealthcare MANAGED MEDICAID $1,368 -$2,322
WELLCARE MANAGED MEDICAID $1,368 -$2,322
TRILLIUM MANAGED MEDICAID $1,381 -$2,309
PARTNERS MANAGED MEDICAID $1,409 -$2,281
VAYA HEALTH MANAGED MEDICAID $1,409 -$2,281
Aetna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,410 -$2,280
ALIGNMENT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,410 -$2,280
ALIGNMENT SMART HMO $1,410 -$2,280
Blue Cross Blue Shield MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,410 -$2,280
Cigna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,410 -$2,280

13 additional plans not shown.

Unc Hospitals

Cash: $3,690
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate vs Cash
Aetna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,423 -$2,267
ALIGNMENT MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,423 -$2,267
ALIGNMENT PREFERRED PLUS HMO $1,423 -$2,267
Blue Cross Blue Shield MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,423 -$2,267
Cigna MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,423 -$2,267
Medicare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,423 -$2,267
HEALTH TEAM ADVANTAGE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,423 -$2,267
Humana MEDICARE ADVANTAGE GOLD PLUS $1,423 -$2,267
Humana MEDICARE ADVANTAGE STATE HEALTH PLAN $1,423 -$2,267
LIBERTY MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,423 -$2,267
TRICARE HMO $1,423 -$2,267
UnitedHealthcare MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,423 -$2,267
WELLCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,423 -$2,267
CAROLINA COMPLETE HEALTH MANAGED MEDICAID $1,894 -$1,796

19 additional plans not shown.

Wakemed, Raleigh Campus

Cash: N/A
Insurance Plan Negotiated Rate
Blue Cross Blue Shield Commercial $157
Ambetter Exchange $163
Aetna Narrow Network $861
Aetna Medicare Advantage $1,410
Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage $1,410
Wellcare Medicare Advantage $1,410
Liberty Medicare Advantage $1,438
Pruitt Medicare Advantage $1,438
Alignment Medicare Advantage $1,481
Cigna Commercial $2,760
Cigna Exchange $2,760

Before you call

The data in this report is from each hospital's publicly filed prices. Here's how to use it.

Confirm the price

Call the hospital's billing department and ask for a price estimate or Good Faith Estimate for PET Scan Whole Body (CPT 78816). Under federal law, they must provide this. Compare it to the published price in this report.

Ask about cash pay

If you haven't met your deductible, ask for the cash/self-pay rate. At many hospitals, the cash price is lower than the insurance-negotiated rate. You can see this in the insurance table above — some negotiated rates exceed the cash price.

Compare before you schedule

You are not required to use the facility your doctor referred you to. You can request a referral to any in-network facility. The same procedure, same quality — sometimes at a fraction of the price.

Ask about financial help

Most nonprofit hospitals in Virginia offer financial assistance to patients based on household income. This is separate from insurance — even insured patients can qualify. Ask billing for their Financial Assistance Policy.

Financial assistance by facility

Nonprofit hospitals are legally required to have financial assistance programs. Below is what we know about each facility's charitable care.

Facility Status Charity Care Provided How to Apply
Duke University Hospital For-profit — N/A (for-profit)
Rex Hospital State government — N/A (for-profit)
Unc Hospitals State government — N/A (for-profit)
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus Nonprofit — Call billing, request Financial Assistance application
Duke Health Raleigh Hospital — N/A (for-profit)

What to do next

  1. Identify your top 2-3 facilities based on price, quality rating, and distance. The data in this report shows that lower price does not mean lower quality — check the star ratings.
  2. Call billing before you schedule. Confirm the published price. Ask for a Good Faith Estimate. Ask whether there's a prompt-pay or cash-pay discount beyond the listed rate.
  3. Check your deductible status. If you haven't met your deductible, compare the cash rate to what you'd owe through insurance. In some cases, paying cash is cheaper than using your plan.
  4. Apply for financial assistance if your household income is under $60,000-$125,000 (thresholds vary). Most eligible patients never apply because they don't know the program exists.
  5. Get everything in writing. Before your procedure, get a written price estimate. After, review the bill line by line. Roughly 80% of hospital bills contain errors (Becker's Hospital Review).

Data sources

Hospital prices
Published machine-readable files, required under CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule (45 CFR Part 180)
Quality ratings
CMS Hospital Compare, updated quarterly
Patient satisfaction
HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems)
Financial data
CMS Cost Reports (charity care, revenue) and IRS 990 filings (officer compensation)

This report is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Every price shown is a price a hospital published — not an estimate. Actual out-of-pocket costs depend on your insurance plan, deductible status, and clinical circumstances. Consult your healthcare provider and insurer before making decisions.