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X-ray exam of mastoids 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

$310.80

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.

$518.00

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.

$19.80 with United Healthcare Community Plan for Families vs $440.30 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 $19.80 ↓ -94%
Highmark BCBS of PA Medicare Advantage $38.30 ↓ -88%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $83.82 ↓ -73%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $93.24 ↓ -70%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $94.94 ↓ -69%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $97.47 ↓ -69%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $109.49 ↓ -65%
Cigna Lifesource Medicare Transplant $109.49 ↓ -65%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $109.49 ↓ -65%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $109.49 ↓ -65%
United Healthcare Medicare $109.49 ↓ -65%
Aetna Medicare $111.52 ↓ -64%
Aetna of PA Medicare $111.52 ↓ -64%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $127.14 ↓ -59%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $179.07 ↓ -42%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $239.82 ↓ -23%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $242.89 ↓ -22%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $254.27 ↓ -18%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $284.90 ↓ -8%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $336.70 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $362.60 ↑ +17%
Fidelis Medicare $388.50 ↑ +25%
InterGroup InterGroup Services Corporation $388.50 ↑ +25%
Health Coalition Partners Intergroup $414.40 ↑ +33%
Multiplan PPO $414.40 ↑ +33%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $414.40 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $414.40 ↑ +33%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $440.30 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial $440.30 ↑ +42%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $440.30 ↑ +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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X-ray exam of mastoids at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Muncy Muncy $397.80 $21.12 – $530.40
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $480.80 $21.12 – $540.90

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →