healthcosts.net

Histochemical stains add-on 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

$121.20

Cash price

?

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.

$202.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$17.64 with UPMC Health Plan vs $181.80 with Multiplan — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $17.64 ↓ -85%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $19.61 ↓ -84%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $29.62 ↓ -76%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $33.12 ↓ -73%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $34.63 ↓ -71%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $39.66 ↓ -67%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $44.65 ↓ -63%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $46.81 ↓ -61%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $47.65 ↓ -61%
Aetna Medicare $50.50 ↓ -58%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $51.31 ↓ -58%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $56.36 ↓ -53%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $61.51 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $62.62 ↓ -48%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $62.69 ↓ -48%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $63.95 ↓ -47%
Cigna New Business ASO $68.68 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $70.70 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $76.76 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $80.80 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $80.80 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $88.88 ↓ -27%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $101.00 ↓ -17%
InterGroup PPO $101.00 ↓ -17%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $101.04 ↓ -17%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $121.20 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $151.50 ↑ +25%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $161.60 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $161.60 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $165.64 ↑ +37%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $181.80 ↑ +50%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $181.80 ↑ +50%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Histochemical stains add-on at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $122.40 $17.75 – $173.40
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $192.60 $10.31 – $272.85
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $124.20 $17.79 – $175.95
UPMC Northwest Seneca $57.60 $17.76 – $94.12
UPMC Somerset Somerset $126.00 $9.88 – $157.50
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $193.20 $11.00 – $257.60

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →