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Plmt biliary drainage cath 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

$4,144.20

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$6,907.00

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.

$364.49 with UPMC Health Plan vs $6,845.31 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 $364.49 ↓ -91%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $381.05 ↓ -91%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $491.39 ↓ -88%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $524.33 ↓ -87%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $564.69 ↓ -86%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $1,105.06 ↓ -73%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $1,927.05 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $2,103.18 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $2,141.17 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $2,348.38 ↓ -43%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $2,417.45 ↓ -42%
Bravo Medicare $2,417.45 ↓ -42%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $2,424.04 ↓ -42%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $2,488.81 ↓ -40%
Aetna EBR FI $2,624.66 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $2,762.80 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $2,762.80 ↓ -33%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $2,804.68 ↓ -32%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $3,039.08 ↓ -27%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $3,108.15 ↓ -25%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $3,332.89 ↓ -20%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $3,452.69 ↓ -17%
InterGroup PPO $3,453.50 ↓ -17%
Aetna of PA Medicare $3,532.77 ↓ -15%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $3,633.70 ↓ -12%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $3,633.70 ↓ -12%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $3,633.70 ↓ -12%
Aetna Medicare $3,700.99 ↓ -11%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $4,144.20 ↑ +0%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $5,111.45 ↑ +23%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $5,180.25 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $5,525.60 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $5,525.60 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $5,663.74 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $6,216.30 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $6,216.30 ↑ +50%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $6,845.31 ↑ +65%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Plmt biliary drainage cath at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $9,337.80 $364.49 – $13,228.55
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $6,424.80 $364.49 – $9,101.80
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $4,655.40 $364.49 – $6,595.15
UPMC Somerset Somerset $7,503.60 $364.49 – $9,379.50
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $2,475.00 $364.49 – $3,300.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →