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Head CT scan (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

$1,795.80

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.

$2,993.00

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.

$94.21 with UPMC Health Plan vs $2,544.05 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 $94.21 ↓ -95%
Health Plan of Upper Ohio Valley Medicare $101.38 ↓ -94%
Health Plan of Upper Ohio Valley Medicaid $101.38 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Unison Advantage Non Special Needs $106.45 ↓ -94%
Aetna of PA Medicare $106.45 ↓ -94%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $109.48 ↓ -94%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $109.49 ↓ -94%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $109.49 ↓ -94%
Aetna Medicare $111.52 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Unison Advantage Special Needs $111.52 ↓ -94%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $128.43 ↓ -93%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families Unison Kids $134.26 ↓ -93%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $173.14 ↓ -90%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $182.26 ↓ -90%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $198.97 ↓ -89%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $227.78 ↓ -87%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $259.95 ↓ -86%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $568.49 ↓ -68%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $578.78 ↓ -68%
Private Health Care Systems Workers' Comp $661.04 ↓ -63%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $721.51 ↓ -60%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $775.14 ↓ -57%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $966.30 ↓ -46%
Cigna New Business ASO $1,017.62 ↓ -43%
Cigna Commercial $1,197.20 ↓ -33%
Health Plan of Upper Ohio Valley Commercial $1,382.77 ↓ -23%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $1,550.29 ↓ -14%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $2,095.10 ↑ +17%
InterGroup PPO $2,484.19 ↑ +38%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $2,544.05 ↑ +42%
Multiplan PPO (Includes Workers' Comp) $2,544.05 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial $2,544.05 ↑ +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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Head CT scan (without contrast) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $2,020.20 $94.88 – $3,097.64
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $1,950.00 $84.51 – $2,925.00
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $2,937.00 $93.00 – $4,160.75
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $1,740.00 $87.53 – $2,465.00
UPMC Altoona Altoona $961.20 $77.50 – $1,281.60
UPMC Bedford Everett $741.00 $36.58 – $1,111.50
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $796.80 $100.71 – $1,128.80
UPMC Cole Coudersport $753.00 $115.89 – $1,004.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →