healthcosts.net

Albumin (human), 5%, 250 ml 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

$466.40

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.

$583.00

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.

$33.51 with UPMC Health Plan vs $605.61 with Highmark BCBS of PA — 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 $33.51 ↓ -93%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $44.25 ↓ -91%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $53.08 ↓ -89%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $53.08 ↓ -89%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $53.08 ↓ -89%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $54.47 ↓ -88%
Aetna of PA Medicare $55.73 ↓ -88%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $57.33 ↓ -88%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $57.33 ↓ -88%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $57.33 ↓ -88%
Aetna Medicare $58.39 ↓ -87%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $61.59 ↓ -87%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $65.28 ↓ -86%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $154.52 ↓ -67%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $162.66 ↓ -65%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $177.52 ↓ -62%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $180.73 ↓ -61%
Cigna New Business ASO $198.22 ↓ -58%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $202.48 ↓ -57%
Bravo Medicare $204.05 ↓ -56%
Aetna EBR FI $221.54 ↓ -53%
Cigna Commercial $233.20 ↓ -50%
Aetna EBR ASO $233.20 ↓ -50%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $256.52 ↓ -45%
InterGroup PPO $291.50 ↓ -38%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $349.80 ↓ -25%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $437.25 ↓ -6%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $439.67 ↓ -6%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $452.17 ↓ -3%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $466.40 ↑ +0%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $466.40 ↑ +0%
National Provider Network PPO $478.06 ↑ +3%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $524.70 ↑ +13%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $524.70 ↑ +13%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $588.85 ↑ +26%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $605.61 ↑ +30%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
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

Albumin (human), 5%, 250 ml at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $810.00 $33.51 – $814.30
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $609.00 $33.51 – $768.40
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $749.60 $33.51 – $796.45
UPMC Western Psychiatric Pittsburgh $609.00 $53.08 – $814.30
UPMC Muncy Muncy $682.40 $53.08 – $359.10
UPMC Northwest Seneca $717.60 $33.51 – $762.45
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $682.40 $53.08 – $359.10
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $682.40 $53.08 – $359.10

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →