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Brain MRA (blood vessel MRI, with and without contrast) at UPMC Passavant-McCandless

9100 Babcock Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA · UPMC · · NPI 1225047699

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 7, 2026 · Ingested Aug 13, 2026

$4,800.60

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.

$8,001.00

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.

$316.41 with UPMC Health Plan vs $6,800.85 with Humana — 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 $316.41 ↓ -93%
Health Plan of Upper Ohio Valley Medicare $340.48 ↓ -93%
Health Plan of Upper Ohio Valley Medicaid $340.48 ↓ -93%
United Healthcare Unison Advantage Non Special Needs $357.50 ↓ -93%
Aetna of PA Medicare $357.50 ↓ -93%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $367.68 ↓ -92%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $367.72 ↓ -92%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $367.72 ↓ -92%
Aetna Medicare $374.53 ↓ -92%
United Healthcare Unison Advantage Special Needs $374.53 ↓ -92%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $411.28 ↓ -91%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $612.32 ↓ -87%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families Unison Kids $640.15 ↓ -87%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $825.51 ↓ -83%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $868.99 ↓ -82%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $903.25 ↓ -81%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $948.64 ↓ -80%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $1,826.39 ↓ -62%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $2,011.08 ↓ -58%
Private Health Care Systems Workers' Comp $2,123.71 ↓ -56%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $2,507.02 ↓ -48%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $2,693.39 ↓ -44%
Cigna New Business ASO $2,720.34 ↓ -43%
Cigna Commercial $3,200.40 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $3,357.61 ↓ -30%
Health Plan of Upper Ohio Valley Commercial $3,696.46 ↓ -23%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $5,386.79 ↑ +12%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $5,600.70 ↑ +17%
InterGroup PPO $6,640.83 ↑ +38%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $6,800.85 ↑ +42%
Multiplan PPO (Includes Workers' Comp) $6,800.85 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial $6,800.85 ↑ +42%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Brain MRA (blood vessel MRI, with and without contrast) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $6,741.00 $318.66 – $10,336.20
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $6,512.40 $283.82 – $9,768.60
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $9,808.20 $367.72 – $13,894.95
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $5,810.40 $293.97 – $8,231.40
UPMC East Monroeville $6,218.40 $341.40 – $8,291.20
UPMC Hamot Erie $7,916.40 $182.13 – $9,235.80
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $2,854.80 $338.22 – $4,044.30
UPMC Altoona Altoona $2,604.00 $425.00 – $3,472.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →