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Chromogenic substrate assay 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

$478.80

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.

$798.00

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.

$8.70 with United Healthcare Community Plan for Families vs $678.30 with InterGroup — 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 $8.70 ↓ -98%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $11.76 ↓ -98%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $12.84 ↓ -97%
Cigna Lifesource Medicare Transplant $12.84 ↓ -97%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $12.84 ↓ -97%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $12.84 ↓ -97%
United Healthcare Medicare $12.84 ↓ -97%
Aetna Medicare $13.08 ↓ -97%
Aetna of PA Medicare $13.08 ↓ -97%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $13.67 ↓ -97%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $29.29 ↓ -94%
Highmark BCBS of PA Medicare Advantage $32.39 ↓ -93%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $53.84 ↓ -89%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $72.09 ↓ -85%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $85.09 ↓ -82%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $113.96 ↓ -76%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $143.64 ↓ -70%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $144.19 ↓ -70%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $438.90 ↓ -8%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $518.70 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $558.60 ↑ +17%
Fidelis Medicare $598.50 ↑ +25%
InterGroup InterGroup Services Corporation $598.50 ↑ +25%
Health Coalition Partners Intergroup $638.40 ↑ +33%
Multiplan PPO $638.40 ↑ +33%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $638.40 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $638.40 ↑ +33%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $678.30 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial $678.30 ↑ +42%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $678.30 ↑ +42%

Visitor-reported prices

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Chromogenic substrate assay at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $119.40 $9.91 – $179.10
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $138.00 $10.27 – $195.50
UPMC Muncy Muncy $158.40 $9.28 – $211.20
UPMC Northwest Seneca $188.40 $10.78 – $266.90
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $158.40 $9.28 – $237.60
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $158.40 $9.28 – $211.20

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →