Upper GI Barium X-ray (barium and gas) 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

$903.60

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.

Full explanation →

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

$1,506.00

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.

$73.15 with UPMC Health Plan vs $1,385.52 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
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $73.15 ↓ -92%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $73.15 ↓ -92%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $86.45 ↓ -90%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $98.62 ↓ -89%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $103.52 ↓ -89%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $105.23 ↓ -88%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $106.90 ↓ -88%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $113.33 ↓ -87%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $114.86 ↓ -87%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $158.84 ↓ -82%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $174.10 ↓ -81%
Aetna of PA Medicare $178.21 ↓ -80%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $183.28 ↓ -80%
United Healthcare Medicare $183.30 ↓ -80%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $183.30 ↓ -80%
Aetna Medicare $186.69 ↓ -79%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $250.33 ↓ -72%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $332.30 ↓ -63%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $367.25 ↓ -59%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $385.28 ↓ -57%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $445.02 ↓ -51%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $515.98 ↓ -43%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $542.16 ↓ -40%
Aetna EBR FI $587.34 ↓ -35%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $590.35 ↓ -35%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $602.40 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $602.40 ↓ -33%
Cigna New Business ASO $602.40 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $602.40 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $667.53 ↓ -26%
InterGroup PPO $753.00 ↓ -17%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $1,054.20 ↑ +17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $1,204.80 ↑ +33%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,280.10 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial $1,280.10 ↑ +42%
Multiplan PPO $1,385.52 ↑ +53%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Upper GI Barium X-ray (barium and gas) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $939.00 $73.15 – $251.46
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $699.00 $73.15 – $291.08
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $1,312.80 $48.00 – $292.39
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $779.40 $73.15 – $250.33
UPMC Altoona Altoona $372.60 $40.00 – $496.80
UPMC Bedford Everett $497.40 $61.23 – $746.10
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $427.80 $52.40 – $606.05
UPMC Cole Coudersport $406.20 $69.83 – $541.60

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →