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Radiation handling 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

$1,174.80

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.

$1,958.00

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.

$59.62 with UPMC Health Plan vs $1,762.20 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
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $59.62 ↓ -95%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $62.33 ↓ -95%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $80.38 ↓ -93%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $85.77 ↓ -93%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $89.24 ↓ -92%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $92.37 ↓ -92%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $143.89 ↓ -88%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $200.87 ↓ -83%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $200.99 ↓ -83%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $269.15 ↓ -77%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $289.69 ↓ -75%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $379.10 ↓ -68%
Aetna Medicare $489.50 ↓ -58%
Bravo Medicare $489.50 ↓ -58%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $507.71 ↓ -57%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $546.28 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $596.21 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $606.98 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $665.72 ↓ -43%
Aetna EBR FI $744.04 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $783.20 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $783.20 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $861.52 ↓ -27%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $979.00 ↓ -17%
InterGroup PPO $979.00 ↓ -17%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $1,174.80 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,468.50 ↑ +25%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $1,566.40 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $1,566.40 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $1,605.56 ↑ +37%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $1,762.20 ↑ +50%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $1,762.20 ↑ +50%

Visitor-reported prices

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Radiation handling at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Somerset Somerset $296.40 $20.36 – $370.50

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →