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Contrast x-ray of ankle 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

$2,098.80

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$3,498.00

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.

$33.00 with United Healthcare Community Plan for Families vs $2,973.30 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 $33.00 ↓ -98%
Highmark BCBS of PA Medicare Advantage $124.69 ↓ -94%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $272.68 ↓ -87%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $309.10 ↓ -85%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $317.07 ↓ -85%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $367.72 ↓ -82%
Cigna Lifesource Medicare Transplant $367.72 ↓ -82%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $367.72 ↓ -82%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $367.72 ↓ -82%
United Healthcare Medicare $367.72 ↓ -82%
Aetna Medicare $374.53 ↓ -82%
Aetna of PA Medicare $374.53 ↓ -82%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $413.92 ↓ -80%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $583.01 ↓ -72%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $629.64 ↓ -70%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $780.79 ↓ -63%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $827.85 ↓ -61%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $1,640.21 ↓ -22%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $1,923.90 ↓ -8%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $2,273.70 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $2,448.60 ↑ +17%
Fidelis Medicare $2,623.50 ↑ +25%
InterGroup InterGroup Services Corporation $2,623.50 ↑ +25%
Health Coalition Partners Intergroup $2,798.40 ↑ +33%
Multiplan PPO $2,798.40 ↑ +33%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $2,798.40 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $2,798.40 ↑ +33%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $2,973.30 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial $2,973.30 ↑ +42%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $2,973.30 ↑ +42%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
Tricare East Region not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Contrast x-ray of ankle at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Muncy Muncy $718.20 $35.20 – $957.60
UPMC Somerset Somerset $896.40 $31.62 – $1,120.50
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $868.80 $35.20 – $977.40

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →