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Insert hepatic shunt (tips) 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

$10,756.80

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$17,928.00

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.

$1,658.88 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $15,238.80 with Private Health Care Systems — 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
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $1,658.88 ↓ -85%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $1,704.87 ↓ -84%
Private Health Care Systems Workers' Comp $1,982.41 ↓ -82%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $4,333.07 ↓ -60%
Aetna Medicare $4,482.00 ↓ -58%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $4,604.29 ↓ -57%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $5,803.30 ↓ -46%
Cigna New Business ASO $6,095.52 ↓ -43%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $6,166.46 ↓ -43%
Cigna Commercial $7,171.20 ↓ -33%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $7,572.79 ↓ -30%
Health Plan of Upper Ohio Valley Commercial $8,282.74 ↓ -23%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $8,964.00 ↓ -17%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $9,860.40 ↓ -8%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $11,606.96 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $12,549.60 ↑ +17%
InterGroup PPO $14,880.24 ↑ +38%
Humana Commercial $15,238.80 ↑ +42%
Multiplan PPO (Includes Workers' Comp) $15,238.80 ↑ +42%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $15,238.80 ↑ +42%

Visitor-reported prices

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Insert hepatic shunt (tips) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $7,146.60 $1,643.23 – $10,719.90
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $10,154.40 $969.31 – $14,385.40
UPMC Somerset Somerset $11,241.60 $928.92 – $14,052.00
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $9,621.60 $1,033.93 – $12,828.80

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →