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Assay of interleukin-6 (il-6) 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

$282.60

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.

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

$471.00

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.

$7.39 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $400.35 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.

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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 $7.39 ↓ -97%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $12.85 ↓ -95%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $14.91 ↓ -95%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $17.07 ↓ -94%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $17.21 ↓ -94%
Aetna of PA Medicare $18.13 ↓ -94%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $18.65 ↓ -93%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $18.65 ↓ -93%
Aetna Medicare $19.00 ↓ -93%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $21.40 ↓ -92%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $28.66 ↓ -90%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $34.43 ↓ -88%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $34.43 ↓ -88%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $118.69 ↓ -58%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $129.05 ↓ -54%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $131.88 ↓ -53%
Cigna New Business ASO $131.88 ↓ -53%
Aetna EBR FI $178.98 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $188.40 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $188.40 ↓ -33%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $259.05 ↓ -8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $329.70 ↑ +17%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $376.80 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $376.80 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $400.35 ↑ +42%

Visitor-reported prices

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Assay of interleukin-6 (il-6) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $56.40 $7.39 – $56.95
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $100.20 $7.32 – $150.30
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $366.00 $7.39 – $518.50
UPMC Northwest Seneca $67.20 $15.66 – $95.20
UPMC Somerset Somerset $87.60 $7.25 – $109.50
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $259.80 $13.48 – $346.40

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →