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Inj proc myelogram lumbar 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

$2,250.60

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.

$3,751.00

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.

$87.49 with UPMC Health Plan vs $3,375.90 with Multiplan — 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 $87.49 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $91.47 ↓ -96%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $117.96 ↓ -95%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $125.86 ↓ -94%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $135.55 ↓ -94%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $334.58 ↓ -85%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $393.57 ↓ -83%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $588.72 ↓ -74%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $753.55 ↓ -67%
Aetna Medicare $937.75 ↓ -58%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,009.12 ↓ -55%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $1,046.53 ↓ -53%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,065.01 ↓ -53%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $1,142.18 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $1,162.81 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $1,275.34 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $1,312.85 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $1,425.38 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $1,500.40 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $1,500.40 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $1,547.62 ↓ -31%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $1,650.44 ↓ -27%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,875.50 ↓ -17%
InterGroup PPO $1,875.50 ↓ -17%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $2,072.59 ↓ -8%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $2,250.60 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $2,813.25 ↑ +25%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $3,000.80 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $3,000.80 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $3,075.82 ↑ +37%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $3,375.90 ↑ +50%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $3,375.90 ↑ +50%

Visitor-reported prices

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Inj proc myelogram lumbar at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $1,000.80 $87.49 – $1,417.80
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $2,289.60 $87.49 – $3,243.60
UPMC Muncy Muncy $1,094.40 $87.49 – $1,459.20
UPMC Somerset Somerset $518.40 $87.49 – $685.40
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $1,323.20 $87.49 – $1,488.60
UPMC Northwest Seneca not published $87.49 – $868.37

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →