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Ultrasound chest 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

$711.60

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.

$1,186.00

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.

$81.43 with UPMC Health Plan vs $1,067.40 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 Managed Medicaid $81.43 ↓ -89%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $84.51 ↓ -88%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $85.13 ↓ -88%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $90.45 ↓ -87%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $104.04 ↓ -85%
Aetna of PA Medicare $106.45 ↓ -85%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $109.49 ↓ -85%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $109.49 ↓ -85%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $109.49 ↓ -85%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $109.79 ↓ -85%
Aetna Medicare $111.52 ↓ -84%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $117.15 ↓ -84%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $126.16 ↓ -82%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $136.32 ↓ -81%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $199.56 ↓ -72%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $203.71 ↓ -71%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $272.80 ↓ -62%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $274.46 ↓ -61%
Bravo Medicare $296.50 ↓ -58%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $330.89 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $361.14 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $367.66 ↓ -48%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $384.23 ↓ -46%
Cigna New Business ASO $403.24 ↓ -43%
Aetna EBR FI $450.68 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $474.40 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $474.40 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $514.58 ↓ -28%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $521.84 ↓ -27%
InterGroup PPO $593.00 ↓ -17%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $711.60 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $889.50 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $948.80 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $948.80 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $972.52 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $1,067.40 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $1,067.40 ↑ +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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Ultrasound chest at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $867.60 $81.43 – $1,229.10
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $1,263.00 $56.30 – $1,789.25
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $285.00 $81.43 – $403.75
UPMC Muncy Muncy $461.40 $60.06 – $615.20
UPMC Northwest Seneca $543.60 $81.43 – $770.10
UPMC Somerset Somerset $394.20 $53.96 – $492.75
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $557.60 $60.06 – $627.30
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $461.40 $60.06 – $615.20

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →