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Pericardiocentesis wwo imaging 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

$2,440.80

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.

$4,068.00

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.

$135.69 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $3,661.20 with Health Payors Organization — 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 $135.69 ↓ -94%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $213.32 ↓ -91%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $223.02 ↓ -91%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $287.60 ↓ -88%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $305.61 ↓ -87%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $306.87 ↓ -87%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $320.63 ↓ -87%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $330.50 ↓ -86%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $409.25 ↓ -83%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $627.65 ↓ -74%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $840.55 ↓ -66%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $1,134.97 ↓ -54%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $1,234.58 ↓ -49%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $1,238.71 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $1,261.08 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $1,383.12 ↓ -43%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,423.80 ↓ -42%
Bravo Medicare $1,423.80 ↓ -42%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $1,519.82 ↓ -38%
Aetna EBR FI $1,545.84 ↓ -37%
Aetna of PA Medicare $1,555.07 ↓ -36%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $1,599.50 ↓ -34%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,599.50 ↓ -34%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $1,599.50 ↓ -34%
Cigna Commercial $1,627.20 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $1,627.20 ↓ -33%
Aetna Medicare $1,629.12 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $1,789.92 ↓ -27%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $1,830.60 ↓ -25%
InterGroup PPO $2,034.00 ↓ -17%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $2,440.80 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $3,051.00 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $3,254.40 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $3,254.40 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $3,335.76 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $3,661.20 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $3,661.20 ↑ +50%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Pericardiocentesis wwo imaging at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,186.40 $136.98 – $3,097.40
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $3,205.80 $136.98 – $4,541.55
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $2,330.40 $136.98 – $3,301.40
UPMC Northwest Seneca $3,431.40 $213.32 – $4,861.15
UPMC Somerset Somerset $2,473.20 $134.32 – $3,091.50
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $2,977.60 $213.32 – $3,349.80
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $2,461.80 $213.32 – $3,282.40

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →