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Bundled special stain group 2 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

$114.60

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.

$191.00

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.

$6.31 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $162.35 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.

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 $6.31 ↓ -94%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $6.53 ↓ -94%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $10.96 ↓ -90%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $14.68 ↓ -87%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $18.25 ↓ -84%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $24.44 ↓ -79%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $29.36 ↓ -74%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $41.44 ↓ -64%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $48.13 ↓ -58%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $52.33 ↓ -54%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $53.48 ↓ -53%
Cigna New Business ASO $53.48 ↓ -53%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $56.11 ↓ -51%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $56.11 ↓ -51%
Aetna EBR FI $72.58 ↓ -37%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $75.65 ↓ -34%
Aetna EBR ASO $76.40 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $76.40 ↓ -33%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $79.63 ↓ -31%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $86.93 ↓ -24%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $106.10 ↓ -7%
Aetna of PA Medicare $129.03 ↑ +13%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $132.71 ↑ +16%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $132.72 ↑ +16%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $133.70 ↑ +17%
Aetna Medicare $135.18 ↑ +18%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $152.80 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $152.80 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $162.35 ↑ +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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Bundled special stain group 2 at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $56.40 $6.25 – $129.03
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $229.80 $6.31 – $135.18
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $557.40 $6.31 – $135.18
UPMC Muncy Muncy $237.60 $41.44 – $316.80
UPMC Northwest Seneca $67.20 $6.51 – $129.03
UPMC Somerset Somerset $78.60 $6.18 – $65.45
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $287.20 $35.64 – $178.20
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $237.60 $41.44 – $316.80

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →