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Implant cartilage 10mm synthetic 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

$24,575.40

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.

$40,959.00

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.

$38.40 with Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) vs $3,380.89 with UPMC Health Plan — 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
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $38.40 ↓ -100%
Aetna Medicare $40.00 ↓ -100%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $44.64 ↓ -100%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $48.72 ↓ -100%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $49.60 ↓ -100%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $52.80 ↓ -100%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $54.13 ↓ -100%
Cigna New Business ASO $54.40 ↓ -100%
Aetna EBR FI $60.80 ↓ -100%
Aetna EBR ASO $64.00 ↓ -100%
Cigna Commercial $64.00 ↓ -100%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $70.40 ↓ -100%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $73.44 ↓ -100%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $73.44 ↓ -100%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $76.32 ↓ -100%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $76.32 ↓ -100%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $80.00 ↓ -100%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $80.00 ↓ -100%
InterGroup PPO $80.00 ↓ -100%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $96.00 ↓ -100%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $120.00 ↓ -100%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $128.00 ↓ -99%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $128.00 ↓ -99%
National Provider Network PPO $131.20 ↓ -99%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $144.00 ↓ -99%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $144.00 ↓ -99%
Bravo Medicare $196.35 ↓ -99%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $2,669.69 ↓ -89%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $3,380.89 ↓ -86%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Implant cartilage 10mm synthetic at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $17,191.20 $44.44 – $4,906.09
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $31,672.20 $1.92 – $5,466.29
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $18,039.00 $42.80 – $4,148.59
UPMC Muncy Muncy $7,003.80 $33.75 – $202.50
UPMC Northwest Seneca $7,867.80 $76.25 – $4,091.18
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $8,470.40 $36.72 – $183.60
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $12,413.40 $28.89 – $96.30

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →