Placement nephrostomy catheter (both sides) 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

$1,944.00

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.

Full explanation →

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

$3,240.00

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.

Full explanation →

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

$179.59 with UPMC Health Plan vs $2,888.17 with Highmark BCBS of PA — 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
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $179.59 ↓ -91%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $329.78 ↓ -83%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $572.01 ↓ -71%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $1,085.28 ↓ -44%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $1,124.28 ↓ -42%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,197.22 ↓ -38%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $1,221.48 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR FI $1,231.20 ↓ -37%
Cigna New Business ASO $1,247.40 ↓ -36%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $1,247.40 ↓ -36%
Cigna Commercial $1,296.00 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $1,296.00 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,603.38 ↓ -18%
InterGroup PPO $1,620.00 ↓ -17%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $1,782.00 ↓ -8%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $1,810.24 ↓ -7%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $1,944.00 ↑ +0%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $2,003.40 ↑ +3%
Aetna of PA Medicare $2,050.66 ↑ +5%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $2,109.25 ↑ +9%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $2,109.25 ↑ +9%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $2,109.25 ↑ +9%
Aetna Medicare $2,148.31 ↑ +11%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $2,156.52 ↑ +11%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $2,268.00 ↑ +17%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $2,592.00 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $2,592.00 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $2,754.00 ↑ +42%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $2,888.17 ↑ +49%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital —
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Placement nephrostomy catheter (both sides) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Altoona Altoona $1,623.60 $329.78 – $2,164.80
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $5,191.20 $329.78 – $7,354.20
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $5,191.20 $329.78 – $7,354.20
UPMC East Monroeville $13,146.00 $188.39 – $17,528.00
UPMC Hamot Erie $2,329.80 $409.44 – $2,840.52
UPMC Northwest Seneca $2,483.40 $237.66 – $2,109.25
UPMC Hanover Hanover $5,191.20 $329.78 – $3,131.10
UPMC Jameson New Castle $2,365.80 $329.78 – $2,636.56

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →