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Brach/thor cath 2nd 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

$5,967.60

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.

$9,946.00

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.

$125.95 with UPMC Health Plan vs $10,105.96 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 $125.95 ↓ -98%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $131.68 ↓ -98%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $169.80 ↓ -97%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $181.18 ↓ -97%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $195.13 ↓ -97%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $804.27 ↓ -87%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $1,631.43 ↓ -73%
Aetna Medicare $2,486.50 ↓ -58%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $2,774.93 ↓ -54%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $2,857.42 ↓ -52%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $3,028.56 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $3,083.26 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $3,381.64 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $3,481.10 ↓ -42%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $3,674.32 ↓ -38%
Aetna EBR FI $3,779.48 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $3,978.40 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $3,978.40 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $4,376.24 ↓ -27%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $4,920.45 ↓ -18%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $4,973.00 ↓ -17%
InterGroup PPO $4,973.00 ↓ -17%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $5,169.14 ↓ -13%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $5,967.60 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $7,459.50 ↑ +25%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $7,546.20 ↑ +26%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $7,956.80 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $7,956.80 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $8,155.72 ↑ +37%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $8,951.40 ↑ +50%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $8,951.40 ↑ +50%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $10,105.96 ↑ +69%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brach/thor cath 2nd at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $8,350.20 $125.95 – $11,829.45
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $15,733.20 $125.95 – $22,288.70
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $5,364.60 $125.95 – $7,599.85
UPMC Northwest Seneca $10,167.00 $125.95 – $14,403.25
UPMC Somerset Somerset $2,881.20 $125.95 – $3,601.50
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $947.40 $125.95 – $1,263.20

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →