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Carotid Artery Ultrasound (Duplex) 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

$2,251.20

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.

$3,752.00

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.

$143.21 with United Healthcare Community Plan for Families vs $3,189.20 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
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $143.21 ↓ -94%
Highmark BCBS of PA Medicare Advantage $162.09 ↓ -93%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $162.65 ↓ -93%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $192.22 ↓ -91%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $219.28 ↓ -90%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $222.97 ↓ -90%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $230.17 ↓ -90%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $233.97 ↓ -90%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $248.89 ↓ -89%
United Healthcare Medicare $248.89 ↓ -89%
Cigna Lifesource Medicare Transplant $248.89 ↓ -89%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $248.89 ↓ -89%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $248.89 ↓ -89%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $251.98 ↓ -89%
Aetna Medicare $253.50 ↓ -89%
Aetna of PA Medicare $253.50 ↓ -89%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $401.81 ↓ -82%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $538.07 ↓ -76%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $577.75 ↓ -74%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $671.80 ↓ -70%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $755.42 ↓ -66%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $815.42 ↓ -64%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $1,011.69 ↓ -55%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $1,076.14 ↓ -52%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $2,438.80 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $2,626.40 ↑ +17%
Fidelis Medicare $2,814.00 ↑ +25%
InterGroup InterGroup Services Corporation $2,814.00 ↑ +25%
Health Coalition Partners Intergroup $3,001.60 ↑ +33%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $3,001.60 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $3,001.60 ↑ +33%
Multiplan PPO $3,001.60 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $3,189.20 ↑ +42%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $3,189.20 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial $3,189.20 ↑ +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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Carotid Artery Ultrasound (Duplex) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,764.20 $162.09 – $3,915.95
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $507.60 $162.09 – $778.32
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $1,441.80 $160.56 – $2,162.70
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $1,033.80 $162.09 – $1,464.55
UPMC East Monroeville $831.00 $162.09 – $1,108.00
UPMC Hamot Erie $1,007.40 $94.90 – $1,175.30
UPMC Lititz Lititz $788.40 $156.34 – $1,116.90
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $788.40 $156.34 – $1,116.90

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →