healthcosts.net

Upper Endoscopy (EGD, with biopsy) 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

$2,978.40

Cash price

?

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.

$4,964.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$163.44 with UPMC Health Plan vs $4,520.78 with Highmark BCBS of PA — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $163.44 ↓ -95%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $170.87 ↓ -94%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $220.34 ↓ -93%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $235.11 ↓ -92%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $253.21 ↓ -91%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $596.00 ↓ -80%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $729.80 ↓ -75%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $745.11 ↓ -75%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $802.19 ↓ -73%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $917.27 ↓ -69%
Aetna of PA Medicare $938.54 ↓ -68%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $965.36 ↓ -68%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $965.36 ↓ -68%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $965.36 ↓ -68%
Aetna Medicare $983.24 ↓ -67%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $1,384.96 ↓ -53%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $1,455.38 ↓ -51%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $1,511.54 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $1,538.84 ↓ -48%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,643.66 ↓ -45%
Cigna New Business ASO $1,687.76 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $1,737.40 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $1,886.32 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $1,985.60 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $1,985.60 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $2,184.16 ↓ -27%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $2,201.11 ↓ -26%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $2,316.50 ↓ -22%
InterGroup PPO $2,482.00 ↓ -17%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $2,978.40 ↑ +0%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $3,375.71 ↑ +13%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $3,971.20 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $3,971.20 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $4,070.48 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $4,467.60 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $4,467.60 ↑ +50%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $4,520.78 ↑ +52%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Upper Endoscopy (EGD, with biopsy) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,214.00 $163.44 – $3,136.50
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $3,973.20 $163.44 – $6,092.24
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $4,330.80 $163.44 – $6,135.30
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $4,158.00 $163.44 – $5,890.50
UPMC East Monroeville $3,055.20 $163.44 – $4,073.60
UPMC Hamot Erie $3,124.20 $163.44 – $3,644.90
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $2,019.60 $188.70 – $2,861.10
UPMC Altoona Altoona $1,675.80 $148.58 – $2,234.40

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →