healthcosts.net

CT thoracic spine w/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

$2,654.40

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.

$4,424.00

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.

$157.72 with UPMC Health Plan vs $3,760.40 with Humana — 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 Medicare $157.72 ↓ -94%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $158.46 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families Unison Kids $165.66 ↓ -94%
Health Plan of Upper Ohio Valley Medicare $169.72 ↓ -94%
Health Plan of Upper Ohio Valley Medicaid $169.72 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Unison Advantage Non Special Needs $178.21 ↓ -93%
Aetna of PA Medicare $178.21 ↓ -93%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $183.28 ↓ -93%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $183.30 ↓ -93%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $183.30 ↓ -93%
Aetna Medicare $186.69 ↓ -93%
United Healthcare Unison Advantage Special Needs $186.69 ↓ -93%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $213.63 ↓ -92%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $224.88 ↓ -92%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $245.49 ↓ -91%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $331.80 ↓ -88%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $379.18 ↓ -86%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $814.85 ↓ -69%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $844.25 ↓ -68%
Private Health Care Systems Workers' Comp $947.50 ↓ -64%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $1,052.44 ↓ -60%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,130.68 ↓ -57%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $1,409.52 ↓ -47%
Cigna New Business ASO $1,504.16 ↓ -43%
Cigna Commercial $1,769.60 ↓ -33%
Health Plan of Upper Ohio Valley Commercial $2,043.89 ↓ -23%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $2,261.37 ↓ -15%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $3,096.80 ↑ +17%
InterGroup PPO $3,671.92 ↑ +38%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $3,760.40 ↑ +42%
Multiplan PPO (Includes Workers' Comp) $3,760.40 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial $3,760.40 ↑ +42%
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

CT thoracic spine w/contrast at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $3,054.00 $141.48 – $4,581.00
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $4,599.60 $105.00 – $6,516.10
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $2,722.80 $146.54 – $3,857.30
UPMC Muncy Muncy $2,555.40 $112.00 – $3,407.20
UPMC Northwest Seneca $1,636.80 $153.92 – $2,318.80
UPMC Somerset Somerset $1,424.40 $100.62 – $1,780.50
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $3,090.40 $112.00 – $3,476.70
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $2,555.40 $112.00 – $3,407.20

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →