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Assess cyst contrast inject 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

$845.40

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.

$1,409.00

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.

$34.32 with UPMC Health Plan vs $1,832.17 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 $34.32 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $35.88 ↓ -96%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $46.27 ↓ -95%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $49.37 ↓ -94%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $53.17 ↓ -94%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $121.94 ↓ -86%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $295.77 ↓ -65%
Aetna Medicare $352.25 ↓ -58%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $366.55 ↓ -57%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $393.11 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $429.04 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $436.79 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $479.06 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $493.15 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $535.42 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $563.60 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $563.60 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $619.96 ↓ -27%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $663.10 ↓ -22%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $666.14 ↓ -21%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $704.50 ↓ -17%
InterGroup PPO $704.50 ↓ -17%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $845.40 ↑ +0%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $892.06 ↑ +6%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,056.75 ↑ +25%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $1,127.20 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $1,127.20 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $1,155.38 ↑ +37%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $1,268.10 ↑ +50%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $1,268.10 ↑ +50%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $1,368.10 ↑ +62%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $1,832.17 ↑ +117%

Visitor-reported prices

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Assess cyst contrast inject at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $1,569.00 $34.32 – $2,222.75
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $945.60 $34.32 – $1,339.60
UPMC Northwest Seneca $1,873.80 $34.32 – $2,654.55
UPMC Somerset Somerset $1,304.40 $34.32 – $1,630.50
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $708.00 $34.32 – $993.28

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →