Esophagoscopy flex dx brush at UPMC Magee

300 Halket Street, Pittsburgh, PA · UPMC · · NPI 1952311508

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

$580.80

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.

$968.00

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.

$132.39 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $983.24 with Aetna — 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 $132.39 ↓ -77%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $164.34 ↓ -72%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $249.74 ↓ -57%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $319.55 ↓ -45%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $328.68 ↓ -43%
Aetna EBR FI $356.07 ↓ -39%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $357.90 ↓ -38%
Cigna New Business ASO $365.20 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $365.20 ↓ -37%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $365.20 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $365.20 ↓ -37%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $383.01 ↓ -34%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $397.15 ↓ -32%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $444.07 ↓ -24%
InterGroup PPO $456.50 ↓ -21%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $502.15 ↓ -14%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $502.15 ↓ -14%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $512.92 ↓ -12%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $594.71 ↑ +2%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $639.10 ↑ +10%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $730.40 ↑ +26%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $769.38 ↑ +32%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $776.05 ↑ +34%
Humana Commercial $776.05 ↑ +34%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $836.55 ↑ +44%
Multiplan PPO $839.96 ↑ +45%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $916.91 ↑ +58%
Aetna of PA Medicare $938.54 ↑ +62%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $965.27 ↑ +66%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $965.36 ↑ +66%
United Healthcare Medicare $965.36 ↑ +66%
Aetna Medicare $983.24 ↑ +69%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Esophagoscopy flex dx brush at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,959.80 $132.39 – $983.24
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $3,238.80 $132.39 – $983.24
UPMC Bedford Everett $2,428.80 $249.74 – $3,643.20
UPMC Hamot Erie $3,381.60 $131.14 – $1,300.05
UPMC Muncy Muncy $3,526.20 $249.74 – $993.28
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $4,264.00 $249.74 – $993.28

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →