Ultrasound encephalogram 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

$720.00

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.

$1,200.00

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.

$86.08 with United Healthcare Community Plan for Families vs $1,104.00 with Multiplan — 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
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $86.08 ↓ -88%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $86.08 ↓ -88%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $94.88 ↓ -87%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $100.94 ↓ -86%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $101.72 ↓ -86%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $104.00 ↓ -86%
Aetna of PA Medicare $106.45 ↓ -85%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $109.48 ↓ -85%
United Healthcare Medicare $109.49 ↓ -85%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $109.49 ↓ -85%
Aetna Medicare $111.52 ↓ -85%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $116.04 ↓ -84%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $121.81 ↓ -83%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $123.82 ↓ -83%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $133.35 ↓ -81%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $220.71 ↓ -69%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $257.62 ↓ -64%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $292.02 ↓ -59%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $323.18 ↓ -55%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $338.58 ↓ -53%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $391.07 ↓ -46%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $432.00 ↓ -40%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $453.43 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR FI $468.00 ↓ -35%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $470.40 ↓ -35%
Cigna New Business ASO $480.00 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $480.00 ↓ -33%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $480.00 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $480.00 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $586.61 ↓ -19%
InterGroup PPO $600.00 ↓ -17%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $840.00 ↑ +17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $960.00 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $1,020.00 ↑ +42%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,020.00 ↑ +42%
Multiplan PPO $1,104.00 ↑ +53%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Ultrasound encephalogram at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $520.80 $84.51 – $220.38
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $1,273.80 $57.00 – $256.26
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $394.20 $62.23 – $558.45
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $394.20 $62.23 – $558.45
UPMC Hamot Erie $703.20 $86.08 – $220.71
UPMC Northwest Seneca $552.00 $86.08 – $209.52
UPMC Hanover Hanover $394.20 $62.23 – $219.27
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $790.80 $86.08 – $209.52

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →