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Western blot test 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

$178.80

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.

$298.00

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.

$14.20 with UPMC Health Plan vs $268.20 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 $14.20 ↓ -92%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $16.83 ↓ -91%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $17.03 ↓ -90%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $17.48 ↓ -90%
Aetna of PA Medicare $17.88 ↓ -90%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $18.39 ↓ -90%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $18.39 ↓ -90%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $18.39 ↓ -90%
Aetna Medicare $18.73 ↓ -90%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $25.56 ↓ -86%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $26.73 ↓ -85%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $34.46 ↓ -81%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $36.77 ↓ -79%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $39.27 ↓ -78%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $39.61 ↓ -78%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $46.28 ↓ -74%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $69.90 ↓ -61%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $83.14 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $90.74 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $92.38 ↓ -48%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $93.60 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $101.32 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $104.30 ↓ -42%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $110.48 ↓ -38%
Aetna EBR FI $113.24 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $119.20 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $119.20 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $131.12 ↓ -27%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $142.35 ↓ -20%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $147.96 ↓ -17%
InterGroup PPO $149.00 ↓ -17%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $178.80 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $223.50 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $238.40 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $238.40 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $244.36 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $268.20 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $268.20 ↑ +50%

Visitor-reported prices

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Western blot test at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $207.60 $15.83 – $230.35
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $222.60 $16.83 – $315.35
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $176.40 $14.70 – $249.90
UPMC Northwest Seneca $156.60 $15.44 – $221.85
UPMC Somerset Somerset $86.40 $16.83 – $108.00
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $219.20 $16.83 – $246.60
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $181.20 $16.83 – $241.60

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →