Thoracentesis pleural space needle/catheter aspiration with imaging guidance (both sides) at UPMC Lititz

1500 Highlands Drive, Lititz, PA · UPMC · · NPI 1285167916

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 6, 2026 · Ingested Aug 13, 2026

$2,304.60

Cash price

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Discounted cash price

What a hospital charges a self-pay patient who pays directly, without going through insurance — usually well below the gross charge.

Example: A CT scan has a $3,200 gross charge but an $850 discounted cash price. Ask for it by name when scheduling — hospitals don't always advertise it up front.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$3,841.00

Gross charge

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Gross charge (chargemaster price)

The hospital's full, undiscounted list price — pulled from its internal "chargemaster" price list. Almost no one actually pays this.

Example: A chest X-ray has a gross charge of $1,450. The same hospital's discounted cash price for the same X-ray is $180 — the gross charge mostly anchors negotiations, not what patients pay.

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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$62.98 with Prime Net vs $3,397.00 with Cigna — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
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Negotiated rate

The price a specific insurance plan agreed to pay the hospital for a service — it varies by insurer, and even by plan within the same insurer.

Example: The same knee MRI has a negotiated rate of $904 with one insurer's PPO plan and $1,509 with another's — identical hospital, identical scan.

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Payer
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Payer

The insurance company footing the bill — Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, and so on.

Example: "Blue Cross Blue Shield" is the payer. Its negotiated rate for an MRI might be $904, while a different payer's negotiated rate for the same scan is $1,509.

Full explanation →
Plan
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Plan

The specific product an insurer sells — e.g. "Blue Cross PPO 500" — which sets your deductible, coinsurance and negotiated rates.

Example: Two people both insured by Aetna can owe very different amounts for the same MRI: $50 with an HMO plan's flat copay, or the full $1,200 toward a high-deductible PPO plan's unmet deductible.

Full explanation →
Negotiated rate vs. cash
Prime Net Managed Medicare $62.98 ↓ -97%
Capital Blue Cross Medicare Advantage $94.00 ↓ -96%
Keystone Health Plan Medicare Advantage $94.00 ↓ -96%
Prime Net Legacy Commercial $174.37 ↓ -92%
Aetna ACO $175.78 ↓ -92%
Prime Net ACO $175.78 ↓ -92%
Prime Net NonGateKeeper $207.74 ↓ -91%
Aetna Commercial $209.15 ↓ -91%
Prime Net GateKeeper $209.15 ↓ -91%
Keystone Health Plan Commercial $220.48 ↓ -90%
Capital Blue Cross Commercial $220.48 ↓ -90%
Capital Blue Cross CHIP $220.48 ↓ -90%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $258.50 ↓ -89%
Preferred Healthcare System Inter County Health Plan/Lancaster General Health/Musselman Lumber/Vallorbs Jewelry $258.50 ↓ -89%
Geisinger Commercial $307.76 ↓ -87%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $329.00 ↓ -86%
Prime Net FH-Medical Rental $340.28 ↓ -85%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $352.50 ↓ -85%
Multiplan PPO (Includes PHCS and Humana as Payers) $399.50 ↓ -83%
Highmark BCBS of PA Medicare $587.87 ↓ -74%
Aetna Medicare $619.34 ↓ -73%
Cigna Medicare $623.50 ↓ -73%
Geisinger Medicare $623.50 ↓ -73%
United Healthcare Medicare $635.38 ↓ -72%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $903.30 ↓ -61%
Keystone Autism Services ACAP $950.10 ↓ -59%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $1,016.56 ↓ -56%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,221.53 ↓ -47%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Children's Health Insurance $1,755.42 ↓ -24%
Highmark BCBS of PA Medicaid $1,827.87 ↓ -21%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial $1,867.77 ↓ -19%
Cigna Commercial $3,397.00 ↑ +47%
United Healthcare Commercial not published by hospital —
Tricare East Region not published by hospital —
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Thoracentesis pleural space needle/catheter aspiration with imaging guidance (both sides) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Altoona Altoona $1,635.00 $403.71 – $2,180.00
UPMC Bedford Everett $2,040.00 $212.67 – $3,060.00
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $2,304.60 $64.39 – $1,016.56
UPMC Cole Coudersport $1,092.60 $42.41 – $863.16
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $2,304.60 $94.00 – $1,221.53
UPMC East Monroeville $2,153.40 $407.56 – $2,871.20
UPMC Hamot Erie $1,974.60 $403.71 – $863.16
UPMC Northwest Seneca $1,509.00 $534.56 – $863.16

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →