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Biopsy bone trocar/needle superficial 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

$1,629.60

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.

$2,716.00

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.

$69.30 with UPMC Health Plan vs $3,376.25 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 $69.30 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $72.45 ↓ -96%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $93.43 ↓ -94%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $99.69 ↓ -94%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $107.36 ↓ -93%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $271.46 ↓ -83%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $444.00 ↓ -73%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $545.04 ↓ -67%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $757.76 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $827.02 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $841.96 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $923.44 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $950.60 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $1,032.08 ↓ -37%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $1,077.23 ↓ -34%
Cigna Commercial $1,086.40 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $1,086.40 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $1,195.04 ↓ -27%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,227.54 ↓ -25%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $1,287.66 ↓ -21%
InterGroup PPO $1,358.00 ↓ -17%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $1,585.17 ↓ -3%
Aetna of PA Medicare $1,621.93 ↓ -0%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $1,629.60 ↑ +0%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,643.85 ↑ +1%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $1,668.28 ↑ +2%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,668.28 ↑ +2%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $1,668.28 ↑ +2%
Aetna Medicare $1,699.17 ↑ +4%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,714.61 ↑ +5%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $2,172.80 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $2,172.80 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $2,227.12 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $2,444.40 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $2,444.40 ↑ +50%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $2,521.08 ↑ +55%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $3,376.25 ↑ +107%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Biopsy bone trocar/needle superficial at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,959.80 $69.30 – $4,193.05
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $3,416.40 $69.30 – $4,839.90
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $2,058.60 $69.30 – $2,916.35
UPMC Muncy Muncy $1,119.00 $69.30 – $1,492.00
UPMC Northwest Seneca $2,094.00 $69.30 – $2,966.50
UPMC Somerset Somerset $2,461.20 $69.30 – $3,076.50
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $1,352.80 $69.30 – $1,521.90
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $1,119.00 $69.30 – $1,492.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →