healthcosts.net

Dialysis circuit perm vascular embolization 36909 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

$4,614.60

Cash price

?

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.

$7,691.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$160.23 with UPMC Health Plan vs $7,481.25 with Highmark BCBS of PA — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $160.23 ↓ -97%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $167.51 ↓ -96%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $216.01 ↓ -95%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $230.49 ↓ -95%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $248.23 ↓ -95%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $1,207.72 ↓ -74%
Aetna Medicare $1,922.75 ↓ -58%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $2,145.79 ↓ -53%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $2,341.91 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $2,384.21 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $2,614.94 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $2,691.85 ↓ -42%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $2,691.85 ↓ -42%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $2,720.03 ↓ -41%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $2,821.35 ↓ -39%
Aetna EBR FI $2,922.58 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $3,076.40 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $3,076.40 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $3,384.04 ↓ -27%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $3,460.95 ↓ -25%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $3,642.52 ↓ -21%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $3,845.50 ↓ -17%
InterGroup PPO $3,845.50 ↓ -17%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $4,614.60 ↑ +0%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $5,586.31 ↑ +21%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $5,768.25 ↑ +25%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $6,152.80 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $6,152.80 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $6,306.62 ↑ +37%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $6,921.90 ↑ +50%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $6,921.90 ↑ +50%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $7,481.25 ↑ +62%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Dialysis circuit perm vascular embolization 36909 at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $13,276.80 $160.23 – $18,808.80
UPMC Somerset Somerset $2,160.60 $160.23 – $2,700.75
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $3,309.60 $160.23 – $4,412.80

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →