healthcosts.net

X-ray surgical specimen 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

$6,505.20

Cash price

?

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.

$10,842.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$12.74 with United Healthcare Community Plan for Families vs $9,215.70 with Humana — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $12.74 ↓ -100%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $20.58 ↓ -100%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $24.32 ↓ -100%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $27.75 ↓ -100%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $28.21 ↓ -100%
Highmark BCBS of PA Medicare Advantage $28.22 ↓ -100%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $29.13 ↓ -100%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $29.61 ↓ -100%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $31.89 ↓ -100%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $61.20 ↓ -99%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $69.96 ↓ -99%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $71.16 ↓ -99%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $93.69 ↓ -99%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $131.95 ↓ -98%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $176.72 ↓ -97%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $187.37 ↓ -97%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $564.56 ↓ -91%
United Healthcare Medicare $564.56 ↓ -91%
Cigna Lifesource Medicare Transplant $564.56 ↓ -91%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $564.56 ↓ -91%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $564.56 ↓ -91%
Aetna Medicare $575.01 ↓ -91%
Aetna of PA Medicare $575.01 ↓ -91%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $5,083.81 ↓ -22%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $7,047.30 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $7,589.40 ↑ +17%
Fidelis Medicare $8,131.50 ↑ +25%
InterGroup InterGroup Services Corporation $8,131.50 ↑ +25%
Health Coalition Partners Intergroup $8,673.60 ↑ +33%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $8,673.60 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $8,673.60 ↑ +33%
Multiplan PPO $8,673.60 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $9,215.70 ↑ +42%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $9,215.70 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial $9,215.70 ↑ +42%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

X-ray surgical specimen at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $3,982.80 $20.58 – $5,642.30
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $3,852.00 $20.58 – $5,457.00
UPMC Muncy Muncy $178.80 $13.59 – $238.40
UPMC Northwest Seneca $536.40 $20.58 – $759.90
UPMC Somerset Somerset $1,129.80 $12.21 – $1,412.25
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $216.00 $13.59 – $243.00
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $178.80 $13.59 – $238.40

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →