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Appl modality 1/> areas paraffin bath 97018 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

$87.60

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.

$146.00

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.

$6.60 with UPMC Health Plan vs $133.90 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
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $6.60 ↓ -92%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $6.60 ↓ -92%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $8.90 ↓ -90%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $9.37 ↓ -89%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $10.23 ↓ -88%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $28.79 ↓ -67%
Aetna Medicare $36.50 ↓ -58%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $36.79 ↓ -58%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $40.00 ↓ -54%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $40.88 ↓ -53%
Cigna New Business ASO $40.88 ↓ -53%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $45.15 ↓ -48%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $49.99 ↓ -43%
Aetna EBR FI $55.48 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $58.40 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $58.40 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $66.95 ↓ -24%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $73.00 ↓ -17%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $83.31 ↓ -5%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $96.48 ↑ +10%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $102.20 ↑ +17%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $111.58 ↑ +27%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $116.80 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $116.80 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $124.10 ↑ +42%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $133.90 ↑ +53%

Visitor-reported prices

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Appl modality 1/> areas paraffin bath 97018 at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $80.40 $6.60 – $120.60
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $91.20 $6.60 – $129.20
UPMC Muncy Muncy $76.80 $6.60 – $102.40
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $92.80 $6.60 – $104.40
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $76.80 $6.60 – $102.40

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →