healthcosts.net

Ionm remote/>1 pt or per hr 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

$415.80

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.

$693.00

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.

$139.73 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $792.36 with Highmark BCBS of PA — 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 $139.73 ↓ -66%
Aetna Medicare $173.25 ↓ -58%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $193.35 ↓ -53%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $211.02 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $214.83 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $235.62 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $242.55 ↓ -42%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $242.55 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $263.34 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $277.20 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $277.20 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $304.92 ↓ -27%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $311.85 ↓ -25%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $314.69 ↓ -24%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $346.50 ↓ -17%
InterGroup PPO $346.50 ↓ -17%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $381.15 ↓ -8%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $415.80 ↑ +0%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $421.42 ↑ +1%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $519.75 ↑ +25%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $554.40 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $554.40 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $568.26 ↑ +37%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $591.65 ↑ +42%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $623.70 ↑ +50%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $623.70 ↑ +50%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $792.36 ↑ +91%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Ionm remote/>1 pt or per hr at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $3,504.00 $141.06 – $4,964.00
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $1,576.80 $141.06 – $2,233.80
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $3,502.80 $141.06 – $4,962.30
UPMC Northwest Seneca $1,587.60 $362.64 – $2,249.10
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $1,008.00 $453.60 – $1,512.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →