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Biopsy bone trocar/needle superficial 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

$2,058.60

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.

$3,431.00

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.

$69.30 with UPMC Health Plan vs $3,281.43 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 $69.30 ↓ -97%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $69.30 ↓ -97%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $93.43 ↓ -95%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $98.35 ↓ -95%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $107.36 ↓ -95%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $269.67 ↓ -87%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $550.23 ↓ -73%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $769.52 ↓ -63%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $864.61 ↓ -58%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $940.09 ↓ -54%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $960.68 ↓ -53%
Cigna New Business ASO $960.68 ↓ -53%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,225.07 ↓ -40%
Aetna EBR FI $1,303.78 ↓ -37%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $1,333.69 ↓ -35%
Aetna EBR ASO $1,372.40 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $1,372.40 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $1,592.54 ↓ -23%
Aetna of PA Medicare $1,621.93 ↓ -21%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,640.71 ↓ -20%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,668.12 ↓ -19%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $1,668.28 ↓ -19%
Aetna Medicare $1,699.17 ↓ -17%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $2,132.85 ↑ +4%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $2,401.70 ↑ +17%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $2,744.80 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $2,744.80 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $2,916.35 ↑ +42%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $3,281.43 ↑ +59%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
Tricare East Region not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Biopsy bone trocar/needle superficial at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,959.80 $69.30 – $4,193.05
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $1,629.60 $69.30 – $2,444.40
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $3,416.40 $69.30 – $4,839.90
UPMC Muncy Muncy $1,119.00 $69.30 – $1,492.00
UPMC Northwest Seneca $2,094.00 $69.30 – $2,966.50
UPMC Somerset Somerset $2,461.20 $69.30 – $3,076.50
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $1,352.80 $69.30 – $1,521.90
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $1,119.00 $69.30 – $1,492.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →