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Brachytx isodose complex 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

$984.60

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.

$1,641.00

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.

$128.35 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $1,394.85 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
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $128.35 ↓ -87%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $285.78 ↓ -71%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $295.33 ↓ -70%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $295.33 ↓ -70%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $301.33 ↓ -69%
Aetna of PA Medicare $366.45 ↓ -63%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $371.49 ↓ -62%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $376.89 ↓ -62%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $376.92 ↓ -62%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $382.73 ↓ -61%
Aetna Medicare $383.90 ↓ -61%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $398.16 ↓ -60%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $413.53 ↓ -58%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $419.12 ↓ -57%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $449.63 ↓ -54%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $457.44 ↓ -54%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $457.54 ↓ -54%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $459.48 ↓ -53%
Cigna New Business ASO $459.48 ↓ -53%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $497.53 ↓ -49%
Aetna EBR FI $623.58 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $656.40 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $656.40 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $765.46 ↓ -22%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $966.73 ↓ -2%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $1,148.70 ↑ +17%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,312.80 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $1,312.80 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $1,394.85 ↑ +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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Brachytx isodose complex at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,930.40 $128.35 – $4,151.40
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $1,937.40 $127.14 – $2,906.10
UPMC Somerset Somerset $942.60 $125.86 – $1,178.25
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $1,950.00 $192.63 – $2,600.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →