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Ablation cryo thigh/knee at UPMC St. Margaret

815 Freeport Road, Pittsburgh, PA · UPMC · · NPI 1790795359

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 6, 2026 · Ingested Aug 13, 2026

$336.00

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$560.00

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.

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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$18.77 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $476.00 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
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $18.77 ↓ -94%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $27.99 ↓ -92%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $41.78 ↓ -88%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $54.31 ↓ -84%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $55.95 ↓ -83%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $72.74 ↓ -78%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $111.91 ↓ -67%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $141.12 ↓ -58%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $153.44 ↓ -54%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $156.80 ↓ -53%
Cigna New Business ASO $156.80 ↓ -53%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $197.46 ↓ -41%
Aetna EBR FI $212.80 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $224.00 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $224.00 ↓ -33%
Aetna of PA Medicare $240.13 ↓ -29%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $246.97 ↓ -26%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $247.00 ↓ -26%
Aetna Medicare $251.57 ↓ -25%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $308.00 ↓ -8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $392.00 ↑ +17%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $448.00 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $448.00 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $476.00 ↑ +42%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp not published by hospital
Tricare East Region not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Ablation cryo thigh/knee at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $464.40 $18.77 – $657.90
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh not published $18.59 – $251.57
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $507.20 $114.12 – $570.60

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →