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Biopsy needle liver percutaneous 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

$1,212.00

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.

Full explanation →

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

$2,020.00

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.

$98.61 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 $98.61 ↓ -92%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $98.61 ↓ -92%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $132.95 ↓ -89%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $139.95 ↓ -88%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $152.78 ↓ -87%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $309.45 ↓ -74%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $509.04 ↓ -58%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $550.23 ↓ -55%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $553.48 ↓ -54%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $565.60 ↓ -53%
Cigna New Business ASO $565.60 ↓ -53%
Aetna EBR FI $767.60 ↓ -37%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $777.36 ↓ -36%
Aetna EBR ASO $808.00 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $808.00 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,225.07 ↑ +1%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $1,333.69 ↑ +10%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $1,414.00 ↑ +17%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $1,592.54 ↑ +31%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,616.00 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $1,616.00 ↑ +33%
Aetna of PA Medicare $1,621.93 ↑ +34%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,640.71 ↑ +35%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,668.12 ↑ +38%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $1,668.28 ↑ +38%
Aetna Medicare $1,699.17 ↑ +40%
Humana Commercial $1,717.00 ↑ +42%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $2,132.85 ↑ +76%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $3,281.43 ↑ +171%
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 needle liver percutaneous at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $1,215.00 $98.61 – $1,721.25
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $2,126.40 $98.61 – $3,189.60
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $3,186.00 $98.61 – $4,513.50
UPMC Muncy Muncy $1,062.60 $98.61 – $1,416.80
UPMC Northwest Seneca $2,056.80 $98.61 – $2,913.80
UPMC Somerset Somerset $6,913.20 $98.61 – $990.44
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $1,285.60 $98.61 – $1,446.30
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $1,062.60 $98.61 – $1,416.80

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →