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Herpes simplex virus isolation 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

$186.60

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.

$311.00

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.

$19.37 with UPMC Health Plan vs $290.51 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 Commercial $19.37 ↓ -90%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $28.23 ↓ -85%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $33.46 ↓ -82%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $33.86 ↓ -82%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $34.75 ↓ -81%
Aetna of PA Medicare $35.55 ↓ -81%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $36.57 ↓ -80%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $36.57 ↓ -80%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $36.57 ↓ -80%
Aetna Medicare $37.25 ↓ -80%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $41.63 ↓ -78%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $43.53 ↓ -77%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $56.13 ↓ -70%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $59.89 ↓ -68%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $64.50 ↓ -65%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $70.22 ↓ -62%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $86.77 ↓ -53%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $90.88 ↓ -51%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $94.70 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $96.41 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $105.74 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $108.85 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $118.18 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $124.40 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $124.40 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $136.84 ↓ -27%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $137.24 ↓ -26%
InterGroup PPO $155.50 ↓ -17%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $183.79 ↓ -2%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $186.60 ↑ +0%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $216.92 ↑ +16%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $233.25 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $248.80 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $248.80 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $255.02 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $279.90 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $279.90 ↑ +50%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $290.51 ↑ +56%

Visitor-reported prices

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Herpes simplex virus isolation at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $356.40 $19.49 – $504.90
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $338.40 $20.56 – $479.40
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $345.60 $19.54 – $489.60
UPMC Muncy Muncy $447.60 $33.46 – $596.80
UPMC Northwest Seneca $186.60 $19.50 – $264.35
UPMC Somerset Somerset $189.00 $33.46 – $213.75
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $540.80 $33.46 – $608.40
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $447.60 $33.46 – $596.80

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →