Video Swallow Study (Modified Barium Swallow) 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

?

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

?

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.

$50.60 with UPMC Health Plan vs $1,385.52 with Multiplan — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $50.60 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $50.60 ↓ -94%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $59.80 ↓ -93%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $68.22 ↓ -92%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $71.61 ↓ -92%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $72.79 ↓ -92%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $78.39 ↓ -91%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $79.58 ↓ -91%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $90.07 ↓ -90%
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 $197.15 ↓ -78%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $260.59 ↓ -71%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $273.39 ↓ -70%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $302.13 ↓ -67%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $348.97 ↓ -61%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $404.62 ↓ -55%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $523.46 ↓ -42%
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%
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

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Video Swallow Study (Modified Barium Swallow) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $873.00 $50.60 – $196.85
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $804.00 $50.60 – $229.24
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $1,312.80 $33.60 – $228.90
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $779.40 $50.60 – $197.15
UPMC Altoona Altoona $793.80 $28.00 – $1,058.40
UPMC Bedford Everett $640.80 $48.30 – $961.20
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $427.80 $36.68 – $606.05
UPMC Cole Coudersport $385.80 $48.30 – $514.40

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →