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Biopsy skin incisional single lesion 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

$639.00

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.

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

$1,065.00

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.

$54.13 with UPMC Health Plan vs $958.50 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 Managed Medicaid $54.13 ↓ -92%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $56.59 ↓ -91%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $72.98 ↓ -89%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $77.87 ↓ -88%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $83.86 ↓ -87%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $89.48 ↓ -86%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $199.32 ↓ -69%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $201.53 ↓ -68%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $269.88 ↓ -58%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $297.13 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $324.29 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $330.15 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $362.10 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $372.75 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $404.70 ↓ -37%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $413.90 ↓ -35%
Cigna Commercial $426.00 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $426.00 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $468.60 ↓ -27%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $471.34 ↓ -26%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $486.48 ↓ -24%
InterGroup PPO $532.50 ↓ -17%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $554.30 ↓ -13%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $598.88 ↓ -6%
Aetna of PA Medicare $612.77 ↓ -4%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $630.28 ↓ -1%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $630.28 ↓ -1%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $630.28 ↓ -1%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $639.00 ↑ +0%
Aetna Medicare $641.95 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $798.75 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $852.00 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $852.00 ↑ +33%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $852.66 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $873.30 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $958.50 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $958.50 ↑ +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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Biopsy skin incisional single lesion at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $873.60 $54.13 – $1,237.60
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $1,055.40 $54.13 – $1,495.15
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $987.00 $54.13 – $1,398.25
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $640.80 $32.40 – $993.28
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $529.80 $54.13 – $993.28

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →