Methylene blue (antidote) 5 mg/ml intravenous solution at UPMC McKeesport

1500 Fifth Avenue, Mckeesport, PA · UPMC · · NPI 104370353

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

$2.60

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.

$3.25

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.

Full explanation →

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

$0.54 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $25.14 with UPMC Health Plan — 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.

Full explanation →

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
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $0.54 ↓ -79%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $0.83 ↓ -68%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $1.04 ↓ -60%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $1.13 ↓ -57%
Aetna EBR FI $1.14 ↓ -56%
Cigna New Business ASO $1.16 ↓ -55%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $1.16 ↓ -55%
Aetna EBR ASO $1.20 ↓ -54%
Cigna Commercial $1.20 ↓ -54%
InterGroup PPO $1.50 ↓ -42%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $1.65 ↓ -37%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $1.80 ↓ -31%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $2.04 ↓ -22%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $2.05 ↓ -21%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $2.10 ↓ -19%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $2.40 ↓ -8%
SelectCare Commercial $2.40 ↓ -8%
Humana Commercial $2.55 ↓ -2%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $2.73 ↑ +5%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $2.75 ↑ +6%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $8.09 ↑ +211%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $8.96 ↑ +245%
Aetna of PA Medicare $9.17 ↑ +253%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $9.43 ↑ +263%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $9.43 ↑ +263%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $9.43 ↑ +263%
Aetna Medicare $9.60 ↑ +269%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $12.21 ↑ +370%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $25.14 ↑ +867%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital —
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Methylene blue (antidote) 5 mg/ml intravenous solution at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $133.20 $3.15 – $19.55
AHN WEXFORD HOSPITAL WEXFORD $1,104.91 $4.21 – $16.50
GROVE CITY HOSPITAL GROVE CITY $977.42 $4.21 – $16.50
UPMC Cole Coudersport $124.80 $5.35 – $166.40
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $133.20 $0.90 – $19.55
UPMC Hamot Erie $424.00 $0.54 – $9.43
UPMC Hanover Hanover $133.20 $8.64 – $13.97
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $340.80 $1.37 – $9.43

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →