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Biopsy/soft tissue/neck or thorax 21550 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

$2,868.60

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.

$4,781.00

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.

$37.95 with UPMC Health Plan vs $4,302.90 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 $37.95 ↓ -99%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $39.67 ↓ -99%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $51.16 ↓ -98%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $54.59 ↓ -98%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $58.79 ↓ -98%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $231.35 ↓ -92%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $545.04 ↓ -81%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $1,076.56 ↓ -62%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,227.54 ↓ -57%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $1,287.66 ↓ -55%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $1,333.90 ↓ -53%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $1,455.81 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $1,482.11 ↓ -48%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $1,585.17 ↓ -45%
Aetna of PA Medicare $1,621.93 ↓ -43%
Cigna New Business ASO $1,625.54 ↓ -43%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,643.85 ↓ -43%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $1,668.28 ↓ -42%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,668.28 ↓ -42%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $1,668.28 ↓ -42%
Bravo Medicare $1,673.35 ↓ -42%
Aetna Medicare $1,699.17 ↓ -41%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,713.54 ↓ -40%
Aetna EBR FI $1,816.78 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $1,912.40 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $1,912.40 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $2,103.64 ↓ -27%
InterGroup PPO $2,390.50 ↓ -17%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $2,521.08 ↓ -12%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $2,868.60 ↑ +0%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $3,376.25 ↑ +18%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $3,585.75 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $3,824.80 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $3,824.80 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $3,920.42 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $4,302.90 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $4,302.90 ↑ +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/soft tissue/neck or thorax 21550 at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,959.80 $37.95 – $4,193.05
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $3,820.20 $37.95 – $5,411.95
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $2,512.20 $37.95 – $3,558.95
UPMC Muncy Muncy $1,822.80 $37.95 – $2,430.40
UPMC Northwest Seneca $3,198.60 $37.95 – $4,531.35
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $2,204.00 $37.95 – $2,479.50
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $1,822.80 $37.95 – $2,430.40

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →