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Chest X-ray (single view) 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

$686.40

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.

$1,144.00

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.

$6.49 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $972.40 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
Highmark BCBS of PA Medicare Advantage $6.49 ↓ -99%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $9.73 ↓ -99%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $16.09 ↓ -98%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $17.03 ↓ -98%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $20.12 ↓ -97%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $21.55 ↓ -97%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $22.96 ↓ -97%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $23.34 ↓ -97%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $24.10 ↓ -96%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $24.50 ↓ -96%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $26.38 ↓ -96%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $27.50 ↓ -96%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $30.36 ↓ -96%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $31.98 ↓ -95%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $40.66 ↓ -94%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $43.11 ↓ -94%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $90.67 ↓ -87%
United Healthcare Medicare $90.67 ↓ -87%
Cigna Lifesource Medicare Transplant $90.67 ↓ -87%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $90.67 ↓ -87%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $90.67 ↓ -87%
Aetna Medicare $92.34 ↓ -87%
Aetna of PA Medicare $92.34 ↓ -87%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $536.42 ↓ -22%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $743.60 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $800.80 ↑ +17%
Fidelis Medicare $858.00 ↑ +25%
InterGroup InterGroup Services Corporation $858.00 ↑ +25%
Health Coalition Partners Intergroup $915.20 ↑ +33%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $915.20 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $915.20 ↑ +33%
Multiplan PPO $915.20 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $972.40 ↑ +42%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $972.40 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial $972.40 ↑ +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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Chest X-ray (single view) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $419.40 $6.49 – $594.15
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $469.80 $6.49 – $720.36
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $456.60 $6.43 – $684.90
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $405.00 $6.49 – $573.75
UPMC East Monroeville $436.20 $6.49 – $581.60
UPMC Hamot Erie $487.80 $6.43 – $569.10
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $188.40 $4.66 – $134.77
UPMC Altoona Altoona $83.40 $6.43 – $111.20

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →