Exchange drainage catheter 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

$3,496.20

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.

$5,827.00

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.

$64.68 with UPMC Health Plan vs $6,292.73 with Highmark BCBS of PA — 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 $64.68 ↓ -98%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $67.62 ↓ -98%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $87.20 ↓ -98%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $93.05 ↓ -97%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $100.21 ↓ -97%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $234.32 ↓ -93%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $1,015.85 ↓ -71%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $1,507.61 ↓ -57%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $1,625.73 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $1,774.32 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $1,806.37 ↓ -48%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $1,855.93 ↓ -47%
Aetna of PA Medicare $1,898.98 ↓ -46%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $1,953.23 ↓ -44%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $1,953.23 ↓ -44%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,953.23 ↓ -44%
Cigna New Business ASO $1,981.18 ↓ -43%
Aetna Medicare $1,989.40 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $2,039.45 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $2,214.26 ↓ -37%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $2,287.91 ↓ -35%
Aetna EBR ASO $2,330.80 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $2,330.80 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $2,563.88 ↓ -27%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $2,893.41 ↓ -17%
InterGroup PPO $2,913.50 ↓ -17%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $3,063.84 ↓ -12%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $3,496.20 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $4,370.25 ↑ +25%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $4,605.38 ↑ +32%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $4,661.60 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $4,661.60 ↑ +33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $4,698.84 ↑ +34%
National Provider Network PPO $4,778.14 ↑ +37%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $5,244.30 ↑ +50%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $5,244.30 ↑ +50%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $6,292.73 ↑ +80%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital —
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Exchange drainage catheter at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $6,013.80 $64.68 – $1,953.23
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,393.40 $64.68 – $1,989.40
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $5,418.60 $64.68 – $1,989.40
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $3,549.60 $64.68 – $1,989.40
UPMC Altoona Altoona $4,895.40 $58.80 – $6,527.20
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $6,913.20 $74.68 – $9,793.70
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $6,913.20 $79.38 – $9,793.70
UPMC East Monroeville $3,520.20 $64.68 – $4,693.60

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →