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Sodium chloride 0.9 % IV bolus 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

$76.20

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.

$127.00

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.

$0.03 with Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) vs $60.92 with Highmark BCBS of PA — 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
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $0.03 ↓ -100%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $0.41 ↓ -99%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $0.65 ↓ -99%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $0.65 ↓ -99%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $0.65 ↓ -99%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $0.65 ↓ -99%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $0.80 ↓ -99%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $1.62 ↓ -98%
Aetna Medicare $2.25 ↓ -97%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $2.94 ↓ -96%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $3.42 ↓ -96%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $4.50 ↓ -94%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $5.85 ↓ -92%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $6.30 ↓ -92%
Fidelis Medicare $6.75 ↓ -91%
InterGroup InterGroup Services Corporation $6.75 ↓ -91%
Health Coalition Partners Intergroup $7.20 ↓ -91%
Multiplan PPO $7.20 ↓ -91%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $7.20 ↓ -91%
SelectCare Commercial $7.20 ↓ -91%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $7.65 ↓ -90%
Humana Commercial $7.65 ↓ -90%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $7.65 ↓ -90%
Highmark BCBS of PA Medicare Advantage $13.29 ↓ -83%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $22.74 ↓ -70%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $23.39 ↓ -69%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $30.46 ↓ -60%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $31.32 ↓ -59%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $60.92 ↓ -20%

Visitor-reported prices

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Sodium chloride 0.9 % IV bolus at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $29.80 $0.03 – $32.40
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $76.20 $0.03 – $38.25
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $78.80 $0.03 – $22.10
UPMC Western Psychiatric Pittsburgh $76.20 $0.65 – $102.00
UPMC Muncy Muncy $32.40 $0.65 – $13.50
UPMC Northwest Seneca $52.20 $0.41 – $30.60
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $32.40 $0.65 – $13.50
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $32.40 $0.65 – $13.50

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →