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Assay of sialic acid at UPMC Presbyterian

200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA · UPMC · · NPI 119473412

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 6, 2026 · Ingested Aug 13, 2026

$540.60

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.

$901.00

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.

$13.29 with UPMC Work Partners vs $765.85 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 Work Partners Workers Comp $13.29 ↓ -98%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $14.00 ↓ -97%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $14.52 ↓ -97%
United Healthcare Medicare $14.52 ↓ -97%
Cigna Lifesource Medicare Transplant $14.52 ↓ -97%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $14.52 ↓ -97%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $14.52 ↓ -97%
Aetna Medicare $14.78 ↓ -97%
Aetna of PA Medicare $14.78 ↓ -97%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $15.40 ↓ -97%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $15.45 ↓ -97%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $16.80 ↓ -97%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $18.20 ↓ -97%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $20.76 ↓ -96%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $21.79 ↓ -96%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $22.15 ↓ -96%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $23.86 ↓ -96%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $33.21 ↓ -94%
Highmark BCBS of PA Medicare Advantage $36.84 ↓ -93%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $61.23 ↓ -89%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $81.99 ↓ -85%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $96.78 ↓ -82%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $129.61 ↓ -76%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $163.99 ↓ -70%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $585.65 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $630.70 ↑ +17%
Fidelis Medicare $675.75 ↑ +25%
InterGroup InterGroup Services Corporation $675.75 ↑ +25%
Health Coalition Partners Intergroup $720.80 ↑ +33%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $720.80 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $720.80 ↑ +33%
Multiplan PPO $720.80 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $765.85 ↑ +42%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $765.85 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial $765.85 ↑ +42%

Visitor-reported prices

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Assay of sialic acid at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $158.40 $12.49 – $224.40
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $134.40 $11.20 – $201.60
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $159.60 $11.60 – $226.10
UPMC Muncy Muncy $188.40 $13.29 – $251.20
UPMC Northwest Seneca $229.20 $12.19 – $324.70
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $188.40 $13.29 – $282.60
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $188.40 $13.29 – $251.20

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →