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Abdominal paracentesis w/image guidance 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

$3,763.20

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.

$6,272.00

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.

$92.76 with UPMC Health Plan vs $5,644.80 with Health Payors Organization — 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 $92.76 ↓ -98%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $96.98 ↓ -97%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $125.06 ↓ -97%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $133.44 ↓ -96%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $143.72 ↓ -96%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $483.66 ↓ -87%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $745.11 ↓ -80%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $837.43 ↓ -78%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $917.27 ↓ -76%
Aetna of PA Medicare $938.54 ↓ -75%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $965.36 ↓ -74%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $965.36 ↓ -74%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $965.36 ↓ -74%
Aetna Medicare $983.24 ↓ -74%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $1,749.89 ↓ -53%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,886.06 ↓ -50%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $1,909.82 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $1,944.32 ↓ -48%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $1,948.89 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $2,132.48 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $2,195.20 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $2,383.36 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $2,508.80 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $2,508.80 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $2,525.71 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $2,759.68 ↓ -27%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $3,102.01 ↓ -18%
InterGroup PPO $3,136.00 ↓ -17%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $3,763.20 ↑ +0%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $3,873.53 ↑ +3%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $4,704.00 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $5,017.60 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $5,017.60 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $5,143.04 ↑ +37%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $5,187.47 ↑ +38%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $5,644.80 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $5,644.80 ↑ +50%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Abdominal paracentesis w/image guidance at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $4,788.00 $92.76 – $6,783.00
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $8,546.40 $92.76 – $12,107.40
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $2,562.00 $92.76 – $3,629.50
UPMC Muncy Muncy $1,689.00 $92.76 – $2,252.00
UPMC Northwest Seneca $1,898.40 $92.76 – $2,689.40
UPMC Somerset Somerset $1,225.20 $92.76 – $1,531.50
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $1,689.00 $92.76 – $1,322.10
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $1,689.00 $92.76 – $2,252.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →