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CT guidance for needle placement 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

$3,498.00

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.

$5,830.00

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.

$122.70 with United Healthcare Community Plan for Families vs $4,955.50 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 $122.70 ↓ -96%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $174.66 ↓ -95%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $206.41 ↓ -94%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $235.47 ↓ -93%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $239.44 ↓ -93%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $247.17 ↓ -93%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $251.25 ↓ -93%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $270.59 ↓ -92%
Highmark BCBS of PA Medicare Advantage $422.51 ↓ -88%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $572.21 ↓ -84%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $665.36 ↓ -81%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $857.36 ↓ -75%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,047.35 ↓ -70%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,402.54 ↓ -60%
Aetna Medicare $1,457.50 ↓ -58%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $1,975.46 ↓ -44%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $2,645.63 ↓ -24%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $2,805.09 ↓ -20%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $2,915.00 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $3,789.50 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $4,081.00 ↑ +17%
Fidelis Medicare $4,372.50 ↑ +25%
InterGroup InterGroup Services Corporation $4,372.50 ↑ +25%
Health Coalition Partners Intergroup $4,664.00 ↑ +33%
Multiplan PPO $4,664.00 ↑ +33%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $4,664.00 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $4,664.00 ↑ +33%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $4,955.50 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial $4,955.50 ↑ +42%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $4,955.50 ↑ +42%

Visitor-reported prices

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CT guidance for needle placement at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,179.20 $174.66 – $3,087.20
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $2,065.20 $174.66 – $3,097.80
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $2,235.00 $174.66 – $3,166.25
UPMC Muncy Muncy $2,904.60 $130.88 – $3,872.80
UPMC Northwest Seneca $1,516.20 $174.66 – $2,147.95
UPMC Somerset Somerset $914.40 $97.66 – $468.73
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $3,512.00 $130.88 – $3,951.00
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $2,904.60 $130.88 – $3,872.80

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →