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Assay of fluoride 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

$219.60

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.

$366.00

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.

$8.80 with UPMC Health Plan vs $311.10 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
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $8.80 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $8.80 ↓ -96%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $11.86 ↓ -95%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $12.49 ↓ -94%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $13.63 ↓ -94%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $16.01 ↓ -93%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $18.33 ↓ -92%
Aetna of PA Medicare $19.47 ↓ -91%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $20.02 ↓ -91%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $20.02 ↓ -91%
Aetna Medicare $20.39 ↓ -91%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $42.86 ↓ -80%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $50.87 ↓ -77%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $88.43 ↓ -60%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $92.23 ↓ -58%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $100.28 ↓ -54%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $102.48 ↓ -53%
Cigna New Business ASO $102.48 ↓ -53%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $118.44 ↓ -46%
Aetna EBR FI $139.08 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $146.40 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $146.40 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $147.24 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $197.20 ↓ -10%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $236.87 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $256.20 ↑ +17%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $292.80 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $292.80 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $311.10 ↑ +42%

Visitor-reported prices

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Assay of fluoride at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $216.60 $8.80 – $306.85
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $186.00 $8.80 – $279.00
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $240.00 $8.00 – $340.00
UPMC Muncy Muncy $227.40 $8.80 – $303.20
UPMC Northwest Seneca $317.40 $8.80 – $449.65
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $275.20 $8.00 – $309.60
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $227.40 $8.80 – $303.20

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →