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Biopsy muscle percutaneous needle 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

$3,123.60

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.

$5,206.00

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.

$62.03 with UPMC Health Plan vs $4,425.10 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 Medicaid $62.03 ↓ -98%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $73.31 ↓ -98%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $83.63 ↓ -97%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $85.04 ↓ -97%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $87.78 ↓ -97%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $89.23 ↓ -97%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $96.10 ↓ -97%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $328.05 ↓ -89%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $381.45 ↓ -88%
Highmark BCBS of PA Medicare Advantage $550.23 ↓ -82%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $651.95 ↓ -79%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $931.20 ↓ -70%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,363.94 ↓ -56%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $1,668.28 ↓ -47%
United Healthcare Medicare $1,668.28 ↓ -47%
Cigna Lifesource Medicare Transplant $1,668.28 ↓ -47%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,668.28 ↓ -47%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $1,668.28 ↓ -47%
Aetna Medicare $1,699.17 ↓ -46%
Aetna of PA Medicare $1,699.17 ↓ -46%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,826.50 ↓ -42%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $2,801.19 ↓ -10%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $3,383.90 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $3,644.20 ↑ +17%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $3,652.99 ↑ +17%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $3,751.40 ↑ +20%
Fidelis Medicare $3,904.50 ↑ +25%
InterGroup InterGroup Services Corporation $3,904.50 ↑ +25%
Health Coalition Partners Intergroup $4,164.80 ↑ +33%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $4,164.80 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $4,164.80 ↑ +33%
Multiplan PPO $4,164.80 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $4,425.10 ↑ +42%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $4,425.10 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial $4,425.10 ↑ +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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Biopsy muscle percutaneous needle at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,757.60 $62.03 – $3,906.60
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $1,629.60 $62.03 – $2,444.40
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $1,717.20 $62.03 – $2,432.70
UPMC Muncy Muncy $1,119.00 $62.03 – $1,492.00
UPMC Northwest Seneca $1,891.20 $62.03 – $2,679.20
UPMC Somerset Somerset $2,461.20 $62.03 – $3,076.50
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $1,352.80 $30.96 – $993.28
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $1,119.00 $62.03 – $1,492.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →