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Artery x-rays lung 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

$2,564.40

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.

$4,274.00

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.

$27.50 with UPMC Health Plan vs $3,846.60 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 $27.50 ↓ -99%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $28.75 ↓ -99%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $37.08 ↓ -99%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $39.56 ↓ -98%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $42.60 ↓ -98%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $525.07 ↓ -80%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $604.69 ↓ -76%
Bravo Medicare $1,068.50 ↓ -58%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $1,192.45 ↓ -53%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $1,301.43 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $1,324.94 ↓ -48%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $1,335.73 ↓ -48%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,361.88 ↓ -47%
Cigna New Business ASO $1,453.16 ↓ -43%
Aetna EBR FI $1,624.12 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $1,709.60 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $1,709.60 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,823.75 ↓ -29%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $1,880.56 ↓ -27%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,903.16 ↓ -26%
InterGroup PPO $2,137.00 ↓ -17%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $2,501.43 ↓ -2%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $2,564.40 ↑ +0%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $2,568.71 ↑ +0%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $3,079.38 ↑ +20%
Aetna of PA Medicare $3,150.80 ↑ +23%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $3,205.50 ↑ +25%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $3,240.82 ↑ +26%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $3,240.82 ↑ +26%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $3,240.82 ↑ +26%
Aetna Medicare $3,300.84 ↑ +29%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $3,419.20 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $3,419.20 ↑ +33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $3,440.19 ↑ +34%
National Provider Network PPO $3,504.68 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $3,846.60 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $3,846.60 ↑ +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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Artery x-rays lung at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,919.00 $27.50 – $4,135.25
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $3,324.60 $18.00 – $4,709.85
UPMC Somerset Somerset $3,476.40 $17.25 – $4,345.50
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $1,885.80 $19.20 – $2,514.40

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →