healthcosts.net

Drainage external ear complex 69005 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

$1,803.60

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.

$3,006.00

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.

$151.23 with UPMC Health Plan vs $2,705.40 with Health Payors Organization — 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 $151.23 ↓ -92%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $158.10 ↓ -91%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $203.88 ↓ -89%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $217.55 ↓ -88%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $234.29 ↓ -87%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $334.58 ↓ -81%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $335.40 ↓ -81%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $658.20 ↓ -64%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $753.55 ↓ -58%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $838.67 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $915.33 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $931.86 ↓ -48%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,009.12 ↓ -44%
Cigna New Business ASO $1,022.04 ↓ -43%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,047.65 ↓ -42%
Bravo Medicare $1,052.10 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $1,142.28 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $1,202.40 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $1,202.40 ↓ -33%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $1,287.66 ↓ -29%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $1,322.64 ↓ -27%
InterGroup PPO $1,503.00 ↓ -17%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $1,547.62 ↓ -14%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $1,585.17 ↓ -12%
Aetna of PA Medicare $1,621.93 ↓ -10%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $1,668.28 ↓ -8%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,668.28 ↓ -8%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $1,668.28 ↓ -8%
Aetna Medicare $1,699.17 ↓ -6%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $1,803.60 ↑ +0%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $2,072.59 ↑ +15%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $2,254.50 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $2,404.80 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $2,404.80 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $2,464.92 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $2,705.40 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $2,705.40 ↑ +50%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Drainage external ear complex 69005 at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Muncy Muncy $7,126.80 $151.23 – $9,502.40
UPMC Somerset Somerset $4,498.20 $151.23 – $5,622.75
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $8,618.40 $151.23 – $9,695.70
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $7,126.80 $151.23 – $9,502.40

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →