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Augumentation percutaneous vertebral including cavity creation 1 vertebral body thoracic 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

$8,721.00

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.

$14,535.00

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.

$931.20 with United Healthcare Community Plan for Families vs $32,359.10 with Highmark BCBS of PA — 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
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $931.20 ↓ -89%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $2,616.30 ↓ -70%
Highmark BCBS of PA Medicare Advantage $4,746.19 ↓ -46%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $6,478.88 ↓ -26%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $7,355.55 ↓ -16%
Cigna Lifesource Medicare Transplant $7,355.55 ↓ -16%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $7,355.55 ↓ -16%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $7,355.55 ↓ -16%
United Healthcare Medicare $7,355.55 ↓ -16%
Aetna Medicare $7,491.76 ↓ -14%
Aetna of PA Medicare $7,491.76 ↓ -14%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $7,994.25 ↓ -8%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $9,447.75 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $10,174.50 ↑ +17%
Fidelis Medicare $10,901.25 ↑ +25%
InterGroup InterGroup Services Corporation $10,901.25 ↑ +25%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $11,046.49 ↑ +27%
Health Coalition Partners Intergroup $11,628.00 ↑ +33%
Multiplan PPO $11,628.00 ↑ +33%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $11,628.00 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $11,628.00 ↑ +33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $11,765.20 ↑ +35%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $12,354.75 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial $12,354.75 ↑ +42%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $12,354.75 ↑ +42%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $12,844.75 ↑ +47%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $15,755.14 ↑ +81%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $24,162.72 ↑ +177%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $31,510.28 ↑ +261%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $32,359.10 ↑ +271%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
Tricare East Region not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Augumentation percutaneous vertebral including cavity creation 1 vertebral body thoracic at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $9,601.80 $4,746.19 – $13,602.55
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh not published $4,701.43 – $11,046.49
UPMC Somerset Somerset $17,602.20 $892.40 – $21,794.25
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $29,186.40 $993.28 – $38,915.20

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →