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Drug of abuse screen urine 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

$441.60

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.

$736.00

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.

$10.39 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $662.40 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
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $10.39 ↓ -98%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $10.50 ↓ -98%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $12.45 ↓ -97%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $12.60 ↓ -97%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $12.93 ↓ -97%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $13.17 ↓ -97%
Aetna of PA Medicare $13.23 ↓ -97%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $13.61 ↓ -97%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $13.61 ↓ -97%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $13.61 ↓ -97%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $13.77 ↓ -97%
Aetna Medicare $13.86 ↓ -97%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $15.69 ↓ -96%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $17.75 ↓ -96%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $18.94 ↓ -96%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $20.40 ↓ -95%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $21.01 ↓ -95%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $24.80 ↓ -94%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $33.22 ↓ -92%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $65.79 ↓ -85%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $101.81 ↓ -77%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $205.34 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $224.11 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $228.16 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $250.24 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $257.60 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $279.68 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $294.40 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $294.40 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $323.84 ↓ -27%
InterGroup PPO $368.00 ↓ -17%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $441.60 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $552.00 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $588.80 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $588.80 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $603.52 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $662.40 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $662.40 ↑ +50%

Visitor-reported prices

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Drug of abuse screen urine at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $441.60 $10.49 – $625.60
UPMC Western Psychiatric Pittsburgh $1,074.00 $10.28 – $1,521.50
UPMC Somerset Somerset $32.40 $10.29 – $40.50

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →