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Assay of breath ethanol 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

$165.00

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.

$275.00

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.

$24.04 with UPMC Health Plan vs $247.50 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 Commercial $24.04 ↓ -85%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $25.01 ↓ -85%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $29.65 ↓ -82%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $30.00 ↓ -82%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $30.79 ↓ -81%
Aetna of PA Medicare $31.50 ↓ -81%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $32.40 ↓ -80%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $32.40 ↓ -80%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $32.40 ↓ -80%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $32.77 ↓ -80%
Aetna Medicare $33.00 ↓ -80%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $49.49 ↓ -70%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $66.27 ↓ -60%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $76.72 ↓ -54%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $78.22 ↓ -53%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $83.74 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $85.25 ↓ -48%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $87.14 ↓ -47%
Cigna New Business ASO $93.50 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $96.25 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $104.50 ↓ -37%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $104.76 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $110.00 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $110.00 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $121.00 ↓ -27%
InterGroup PPO $137.50 ↓ -17%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $151.25 ↓ -8%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $165.00 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $206.25 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $220.00 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $220.00 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $225.50 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $247.50 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $247.50 ↑ +50%

Visitor-reported prices

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Assay of breath ethanol at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Northwest Seneca $202.80 $24.19 – $287.30

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →