Tobramycin comp unit 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

$662.40

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.

$828.00

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.

$1.69 with United Healthcare Community Plan for Families vs $745.20 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
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $1.69 ↓ -100%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $120.82 ↓ -82%
Aetna Medicare $207.00 ↓ -69%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $231.01 ↓ -65%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $252.13 ↓ -62%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $256.68 ↓ -61%
Cigna New Business ASO $281.52 ↓ -58%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $287.56 ↓ -57%
Bravo Medicare $289.80 ↓ -56%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $289.80 ↓ -56%
Aetna EBR FI $314.64 ↓ -53%
Aetna EBR ASO $331.20 ↓ -50%
Cigna Commercial $331.20 ↓ -50%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $343.79 ↓ -48%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $353.55 ↓ -47%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $364.32 ↓ -45%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $372.60 ↓ -44%
InterGroup PPO $414.00 ↓ -38%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $414.00 ↓ -38%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $455.40 ↓ -31%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $460.43 ↓ -30%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $473.53 ↓ -29%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $496.80 ↓ -25%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $621.00 ↓ -6%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $662.40 ↑ +0%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $662.40 ↑ +0%
National Provider Network PPO $678.96 ↑ +3%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $745.20 ↑ +13%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $745.20 ↑ +13%

Visitor-reported prices

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Tobramycin comp unit at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $1,426.80 $1.62 – $121.97
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $1,426.80 $1.55 – $121.97
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $1,426.80 $1.47 – $121.97
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $662.40 $1.62 – $121.97
UPMC Western Psychiatric Pittsburgh $1,426.80 $119.52 – $119.52
UPMC Altoona Altoona $644.00 $1.47 – $644.00
UPMC East Monroeville $662.40 $1.47 – $662.40
UPMC Hamot Erie $662.40 $1.47 – $159.57

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →