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ER Visit (level 1, minor) 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

$300.00

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.

$500.00

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.

$52.16 with UPMC Work Partners vs $450.00 with Bravo — 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 Work Partners Workers Comp $52.16 ↓ -83%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $54.85 ↓ -82%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $66.90 ↓ -78%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $69.98 ↓ -77%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $86.15 ↓ -71%
Aetna of PA Medicare $88.15 ↓ -71%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $90.67 ↓ -70%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $90.67 ↓ -70%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $90.67 ↓ -70%
Aetna Medicare $92.34 ↓ -69%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $99.11 ↓ -67%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $139.50 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $152.25 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $155.00 ↓ -48%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $156.08 ↓ -48%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $160.51 ↓ -46%
Cigna New Business ASO $170.00 ↓ -43%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $176.68 ↓ -41%
Aetna EBR FI $190.00 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $200.00 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $200.00 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $209.03 ↓ -30%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $214.98 ↓ -28%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $220.00 ↓ -27%
InterGroup PPO $250.00 ↓ -17%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $275.00 ↓ -8%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $300.00 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $375.00 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $400.00 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $400.00 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $410.00 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $450.00 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $450.00 ↑ +50%
Bravo Medicare $450.00 ↑ +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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ER Visit (level 1, minor) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $183.60 $51.60 – $260.10
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $223.80 $51.60 – $343.16
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $308.40 $52.16 – $436.90
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $238.80 $51.60 – $338.30
UPMC East Monroeville $260.40 $51.60 – $347.20
UPMC Hamot Erie $384.60 $51.60 – $448.70
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $391.20 $21.05 – $554.20
UPMC Altoona Altoona $374.40 $21.00 – $499.20

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →