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Echo stress 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

$3,820.20

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.

$6,367.00

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.

$84.15 with UPMC Health Plan vs $5,730.30 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 $84.15 ↓ -98%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $87.97 ↓ -98%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $113.45 ↓ -97%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $121.05 ↓ -97%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $130.37 ↓ -97%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $163.89 ↓ -96%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $369.11 ↓ -90%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $406.82 ↓ -89%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $435.76 ↓ -89%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $494.30 ↓ -87%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $515.20 ↓ -87%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $536.44 ↓ -86%
Aetna of PA Medicare $548.88 ↓ -86%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $564.56 ↓ -85%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $564.56 ↓ -85%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $564.56 ↓ -85%
Aetna Medicare $575.01 ↓ -85%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $693.97 ↓ -82%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $929.39 ↓ -76%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $962.59 ↓ -75%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $1,776.39 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $1,938.75 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $1,973.77 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $2,164.78 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $2,228.45 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $2,419.46 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $2,546.80 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $2,546.80 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $2,801.48 ↓ -27%
InterGroup PPO $3,183.50 ↓ -17%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $3,820.20 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $4,775.25 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $5,093.60 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $5,093.60 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $5,220.94 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $5,730.30 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $5,730.30 ↑ +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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Echo stress at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $1,044.60 $84.15 – $1,479.85
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $5,167.80 $55.80 – $7,321.05
UPMC Muncy Muncy $873.00 $59.52 – $1,164.00
UPMC Northwest Seneca $626.40 $84.15 – $937.61
UPMC Somerset Somerset $1,737.60 $53.48 – $933.78
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $1,056.00 $59.52 – $1,109.70
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $816.00 $59.52 – $1,088.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →