Arthrocentesis/aspiration/injection small joint/bursa without ultrasound guidance 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

$321.00

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.

$535.00

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.

$19.80 with United Healthcare Community Plan for Families vs $454.75 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 $19.80 ↓ -94%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $19.80 ↓ -94%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $26.69 ↓ -92%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $28.10 ↓ -91%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $30.68 ↓ -90%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $56.30 ↓ -82%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $74.24 ↓ -77%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $105.41 ↓ -67%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $125.34 ↓ -61%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $134.82 ↓ -58%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $146.59 ↓ -54%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $149.80 ↓ -53%
Cigna New Business ASO $149.80 ↓ -53%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $162.94 ↓ -49%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $167.87 ↓ -48%
Aetna EBR FI $203.30 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $214.00 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $214.00 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $218.22 ↓ -32%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $242.99 ↓ -24%
Aetna of PA Medicare $295.50 ↓ -8%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $303.92 ↓ -5%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $303.94 ↓ -5%
Aetna Medicare $309.57 ↓ -4%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $335.73 ↑ +5%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $374.50 ↑ +17%
SelectCare Commercial $428.00 ↑ +33%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $428.00 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $454.75 ↑ +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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Arthrocentesis/aspiration/injection small joint/bursa without ultrasound guidance at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $357.60 $19.80 – $303.94
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $855.00 $19.80 – $309.57
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $286.80 $19.80 – $309.57
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $301.20 $19.80 – $931.20
UPMC Altoona Altoona $158.40 $18.00 – $211.20
UPMC Bedford Everett $310.20 $18.90 – $465.30
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $453.60 $22.86 – $1,016.56
UPMC Cole Coudersport $165.00 $18.90 – $99.74

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →