5% dextrose with potassium at UPMC Mercy

1400 Locust Street, Pittsburgh, PA · UPMC · · NPI 163914308

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

$75.80

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.

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

$94.75

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.

$23.69 with Aetna vs $85.28 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
Aetna Medicare $23.69 ↓ -69%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $26.44 ↓ -65%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $28.85 ↓ -62%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $29.37 ↓ -61%
Cigna New Business ASO $32.22 ↓ -57%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $32.91 ↓ -57%
Bravo Medicare $33.16 ↓ -56%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $34.02 ↓ -55%
Aetna EBR FI $36.01 ↓ -52%
Aetna EBR ASO $37.90 ↓ -50%
Cigna Commercial $37.90 ↓ -50%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $41.52 ↓ -45%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $41.69 ↓ -45%
InterGroup PPO $47.38 ↓ -37%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $47.38 ↓ -37%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $50.35 ↓ -34%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $51.78 ↓ -32%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $52.11 ↓ -31%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $52.58 ↓ -31%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $56.85 ↓ -25%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $67.43 ↓ -11%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $69.35 ↓ -9%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $71.06 ↓ -6%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $75.80 ↑ +0%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $75.80 ↑ +0%
National Provider Network PPO $77.69 ↑ +2%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $85.28 ↑ +13%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $85.28 ↑ +13%

Visitor-reported prices

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5% dextrose with potassium at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $85.20 $5.33 – $52.58
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $104.40 $34.34 – $76.31
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $85.20 $34.34 – $85.02
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $101.60 $34.34 – $64.52
UPMC Western Psychiatric Pittsburgh $85.20 $33.65 – $33.65
UPMC Altoona Altoona $1.60 $0.74 – $52.58
UPMC Bedford Everett $81.60 $25.50 – $91.80
UPMC East Monroeville $204.00 $30.50 – $204.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →