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Ultrasound spinal canal and contents 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

$1,041.60

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.

$1,736.00

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.

$61.18 with United Healthcare Community Plan for Families vs $1,475.60 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
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $61.18 ↓ -94%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $109.49 ↓ -89%
United Healthcare Medicare $109.49 ↓ -89%
Cigna Lifesource Medicare Transplant $109.49 ↓ -89%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $109.49 ↓ -89%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $109.49 ↓ -89%
Aetna Medicare $111.52 ↓ -89%
Aetna of PA Medicare $111.52 ↓ -89%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $111.80 ↓ -89%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $132.13 ↓ -87%
Highmark BCBS of PA Medicare Advantage $138.15 ↓ -87%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $150.73 ↓ -86%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $153.27 ↓ -85%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $158.22 ↓ -85%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $160.84 ↓ -85%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $173.21 ↓ -83%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $265.81 ↓ -74%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $312.08 ↓ -70%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $342.45 ↓ -67%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $362.88 ↓ -65%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $458.59 ↓ -56%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $645.91 ↓ -38%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $865.03 ↓ -17%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $917.17 ↓ -12%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $1,128.40 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $1,215.20 ↑ +17%
Fidelis Medicare $1,302.00 ↑ +25%
InterGroup InterGroup Services Corporation $1,302.00 ↑ +25%
Health Coalition Partners Intergroup $1,388.80 ↑ +33%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,388.80 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $1,388.80 ↑ +33%
Multiplan PPO $1,388.80 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $1,475.60 ↑ +42%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $1,475.60 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial $1,475.60 ↑ +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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Ultrasound spinal canal and contents at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $797.40 $84.51 – $1,196.10
UPMC Muncy Muncy $571.80 $65.25 – $762.40
UPMC Northwest Seneca $354.00 $91.94 – $501.50
UPMC Somerset Somerset $394.20 $58.63 – $492.75
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $692.00 $65.25 – $778.50
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $571.80 $65.25 – $762.40

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →