healthcosts.net

Injection for arthrography wrist (both sides) 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

$1,188.60

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.

$1,981.00

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.

$130.12 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $1,782.90 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
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $130.12 ↓ -89%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $182.10 ↓ -85%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $232.32 ↓ -80%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $293.05 ↓ -75%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $392.43 ↓ -67%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $420.28 ↓ -65%
Aetna Medicare $495.25 ↓ -58%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $552.70 ↓ -53%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $601.85 ↓ -49%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $603.21 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $614.11 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $673.54 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $693.35 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $752.78 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $792.40 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $792.40 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $806.01 ↓ -32%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $871.64 ↓ -27%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $990.50 ↓ -17%
InterGroup PPO $990.50 ↓ -17%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $1,089.55 ↓ -8%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $1,188.60 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,485.75 ↑ +25%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $1,584.80 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $1,584.80 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $1,624.42 ↑ +37%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $1,782.90 ↑ +50%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $1,782.90 ↑ +50%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Injection for arthrography wrist (both sides) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $666.60 $131.35 – $944.35
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $780.60 $42.00 – $1,105.85
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $753.00 $131.35 – $1,066.75
UPMC Muncy Muncy $969.00 $44.80 – $1,292.00
UPMC Northwest Seneca $450.00 $172.72 – $637.50
UPMC Somerset Somerset $471.00 $40.25 – $588.75
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $1,172.00 $44.80 – $1,318.50
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $969.00 $44.80 – $1,292.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →