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Microdissection laser 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

$649.80

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.

$1,083.00

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.

$148.95 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $974.70 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
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $148.95 ↓ -77%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $224.94 ↓ -65%
Aetna Medicare $270.75 ↓ -58%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $301.22 ↓ -54%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $302.16 ↓ -53%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $329.77 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $335.73 ↓ -48%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $355.54 ↓ -45%
Cigna New Business ASO $368.22 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $379.05 ↓ -42%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $379.05 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $411.54 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $433.20 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $433.20 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $476.15 ↓ -27%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $476.52 ↓ -27%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $487.35 ↓ -25%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $541.50 ↓ -17%
InterGroup PPO $541.50 ↓ -17%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $595.65 ↓ -8%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $649.80 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $812.25 ↑ +25%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $866.40 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $866.40 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $888.06 ↑ +37%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $974.70 ↑ +50%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $974.70 ↑ +50%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Microdissection laser at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $600.60 $150.36 – $850.85
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $1,819.80 $52.58 – $2,578.05
UPMC Somerset Somerset $135.00 $50.39 – $168.75

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →