healthcosts.net

Apheresis plasma 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

$4,792.80

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.

Full explanation →

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

$7,988.00

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.

$82.50 with UPMC Health Plan vs $7,570.49 with Highmark BCBS of PA — 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 $82.50 ↓ -98%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $86.25 ↓ -98%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $111.22 ↓ -98%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $118.68 ↓ -98%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $127.81 ↓ -97%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $187.66 ↓ -96%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $1,222.12 ↓ -75%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $1,261.28 ↓ -74%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $1,302.80 ↓ -73%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $1,603.81 ↓ -67%
Aetna of PA Medicare $1,641.00 ↓ -66%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $1,687.89 ↓ -65%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,687.89 ↓ -65%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $1,687.89 ↓ -65%
Aetna Medicare $1,719.15 ↓ -64%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $2,007.54 ↓ -58%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $2,228.65 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $2,432.35 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $2,476.28 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $2,715.92 ↓ -43%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $2,752.47 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $2,795.80 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $3,035.44 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $3,195.20 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $3,195.20 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $3,514.72 ↓ -27%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $3,685.96 ↓ -23%
InterGroup PPO $3,994.00 ↓ -17%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $4,792.80 ↑ +0%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $5,652.95 ↑ +18%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $5,991.00 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $6,390.40 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $6,390.40 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $6,550.16 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $7,189.20 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $7,189.20 ↑ +50%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $7,570.49 ↑ +58%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Apheresis plasma at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $3,486.60 $82.50 – $4,939.35
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $28,527.60 $82.50 – $12,992.25
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $3,292.80 $82.50 – $4,664.80
UPMC Somerset Somerset $5,519.40 $82.50 – $6,899.25
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $1,532.00 $82.50 – $1,723.50

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →