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Injection for ureter x-ray 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

$2,236.20

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.

$3,727.00

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.

$47.30 with UPMC Health Plan vs $3,376.25 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 Managed Medicaid $47.30 ↓ -98%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $49.45 ↓ -98%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $63.77 ↓ -97%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $68.04 ↓ -97%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $73.28 ↓ -97%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $148.20 ↓ -93%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $545.04 ↓ -76%
Aetna Medicare $931.75 ↓ -58%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $947.56 ↓ -58%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $1,039.83 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $1,134.87 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $1,155.37 ↓ -48%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,227.54 ↓ -45%
Cigna New Business ASO $1,267.18 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $1,304.45 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $1,416.26 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $1,490.80 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $1,490.80 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $1,639.88 ↓ -27%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,643.85 ↓ -26%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,714.16 ↓ -23%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,863.50 ↓ -17%
InterGroup PPO $1,863.50 ↓ -17%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $2,236.20 ↑ +0%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $2,521.08 ↑ +13%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $2,795.25 ↑ +25%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $2,981.60 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $2,981.60 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $3,056.14 ↑ +37%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $3,354.30 ↑ +50%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $3,354.30 ↑ +50%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $3,376.25 ↑ +51%

Visitor-reported prices

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Injection for ureter x-ray at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,628.00 $47.30 – $3,723.00
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $4,470.00 $47.30 – $6,332.50
UPMC Somerset Somerset $1,540.80 $47.30 – $1,926.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →