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Shoulder MRI (with contrast) 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

$5,313.60

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.

$8,856.00

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.

$439.03 with UPMC Health Plan vs $7,970.40 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
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $439.03 ↓ -92%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $539.76 ↓ -90%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $627.89 ↓ -88%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $772.96 ↓ -85%
Aetna of PA Medicare $790.89 ↓ -85%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $813.49 ↓ -85%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $813.49 ↓ -85%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $813.49 ↓ -85%
Aetna Medicare $828.55 ↓ -84%
Premier Comp Solutions Worker's Comp $1,213.54 ↓ -77%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,215.65 ↓ -77%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $1,304.55 ↓ -75%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,591.30 ↓ -70%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,627.93 ↓ -69%
Bravo Medicare $2,214.00 ↓ -58%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $2,292.90 ↓ -57%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $2,470.82 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $2,696.65 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $2,745.36 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $3,011.04 ↓ -43%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $3,070.80 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $3,365.28 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $3,542.40 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $3,542.40 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $3,896.64 ↓ -27%
InterGroup PPO $4,428.00 ↓ -17%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $4,870.80 ↓ -8%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $5,313.60 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $6,642.00 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $7,084.80 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $7,084.80 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $7,261.92 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $7,970.40 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $7,970.40 ↑ +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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Shoulder MRI (with contrast) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $4,621.20 $441.61 – $6,546.70
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $5,191.20 $463.21 – $7,959.84
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $8,004.00 $369.30 – $11,339.00
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $4,742.40 $442.69 – $6,718.40
UPMC East Monroeville $5,074.20 $437.75 – $6,765.60
UPMC Hamot Erie $1,948.80 $201.09 – $2,273.60
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $4,192.80 $443.23 – $5,939.80
UPMC Jameson New Castle $3,155.40 $327.20 – $4,365.68

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →