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Ultrasound spinal canal and contents 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

$797.40

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.

$1,329.00

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.

$84.51 with UPMC Health Plan vs $1,196.10 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 Medicare $84.51 ↓ -89%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $104.04 ↓ -87%
Aetna of PA Medicare $106.45 ↓ -87%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $109.49 ↓ -86%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $109.49 ↓ -86%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $109.49 ↓ -86%
Aetna Medicare $111.52 ↓ -86%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $111.80 ↓ -86%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $116.89 ↓ -85%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $136.84 ↓ -83%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $150.73 ↓ -81%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $160.84 ↓ -80%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $173.21 ↓ -78%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $210.31 ↓ -74%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $308.20 ↓ -61%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $312.08 ↓ -61%
Bravo Medicare $332.25 ↓ -58%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $370.79 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $404.68 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $411.99 ↓ -48%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $412.73 ↓ -48%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $423.42 ↓ -47%
Cigna New Business ASO $451.86 ↓ -43%
Aetna EBR FI $505.02 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $531.60 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $531.60 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $581.32 ↓ -27%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $584.76 ↓ -27%
InterGroup PPO $664.50 ↓ -17%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $778.54 ↓ -2%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $797.40 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $996.75 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $1,063.20 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $1,063.20 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $1,089.78 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $1,196.10 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $1,196.10 ↑ +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 spinal canal and contents at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $1,041.60 $61.18 – $1,475.60
UPMC Muncy Muncy $571.80 $65.25 – $762.40
UPMC Northwest Seneca $354.00 $91.94 – $501.50
UPMC Somerset Somerset $394.20 $58.63 – $492.75
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $692.00 $65.25 – $778.50
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $571.80 $65.25 – $762.40

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →