healthcosts.net

Microsatellite instability 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

$1,154.40

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.

$1,924.00

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.

$264.17 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $1,731.60 with Health Payors Organization — 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 $264.17 ↓ -77%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $283.79 ↓ -75%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $290.56 ↓ -75%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $344.49 ↓ -70%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $347.63 ↓ -70%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $348.56 ↓ -70%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $357.69 ↓ -69%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $363.43 ↓ -69%
Aetna of PA Medicare $365.99 ↓ -68%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $376.44 ↓ -67%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $376.44 ↓ -67%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $376.44 ↓ -67%
Aetna Medicare $383.42 ↓ -67%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $398.96 ↓ -65%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $468.67 ↓ -59%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $500.09 ↓ -57%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $534.26 ↓ -54%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $536.80 ↓ -53%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $538.58 ↓ -53%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $585.86 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $596.44 ↓ -48%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $630.59 ↓ -45%
Cigna New Business ASO $654.16 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $673.40 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $731.12 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $769.60 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $769.60 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $844.51 ↓ -27%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $846.56 ↓ -27%
InterGroup PPO $962.00 ↓ -17%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,028.61 ↓ -11%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $1,154.40 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,443.00 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $1,539.20 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $1,539.20 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $1,577.68 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $1,731.60 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $1,731.60 ↑ +50%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Microsatellite instability at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $1,154.40 $266.69 – $1,635.40
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $1,734.00 $266.69 – $2,456.50
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $1,154.40 $266.69 – $1,635.40
UPMC Northwest Seneca $1,154.40 $285.59 – $1,635.40

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →