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Ghs cricothyroidotomy 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

$2,097.00

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$3,495.00

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.

$184.55 with UPMC Health Plan vs $5,184.59 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 Medicare $184.55 ↓ -91%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $185.56 ↓ -91%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $193.99 ↓ -91%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $227.19 ↓ -89%
Aetna of PA Medicare $232.46 ↓ -89%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $239.10 ↓ -89%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $239.10 ↓ -89%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $239.10 ↓ -89%
Aetna Medicare $243.53 ↓ -88%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $250.17 ↓ -88%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $266.94 ↓ -87%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $287.48 ↓ -86%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $817.48 ↓ -61%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $836.96 ↓ -60%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $975.11 ↓ -53%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $1,064.23 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $1,083.45 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $1,188.30 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $1,223.25 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $1,328.10 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $1,398.00 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $1,398.00 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $1,537.80 ↓ -27%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $1,667.85 ↓ -20%
InterGroup PPO $1,747.50 ↓ -17%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,885.01 ↓ -10%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $2,097.00 ↑ +0%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $2,524.30 ↑ +20%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $2,621.25 ↑ +25%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $2,654.68 ↑ +27%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $2,796.00 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $2,796.00 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $2,865.90 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $3,145.50 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $3,145.50 ↑ +50%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $3,871.38 ↑ +85%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $5,184.59 ↑ +147%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Ghs cricothyroidotomy at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $4,669.80 $185.56 – $6,615.55
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $5,469.00 $185.56 – $7,747.75
UPMC Muncy Muncy $5,383.80 $185.56 – $7,178.40
UPMC Somerset Somerset $777.60 $185.56 – $972.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →