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Critical care each additional 30 minutes 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

$519.00

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.

$865.00

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.

$72.34 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $735.25 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 $72.34 ↓ -86%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $81.84 ↓ -84%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $81.84 ↓ -84%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $110.34 ↓ -79%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $116.15 ↓ -78%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $126.79 ↓ -76%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $160.92 ↓ -69%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $192.06 ↓ -63%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $208.30 ↓ -60%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $209.37 ↓ -60%
Aetna Medicare $216.25 ↓ -58%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $217.98 ↓ -58%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $237.01 ↓ -54%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $242.20 ↓ -53%
Cigna New Business ASO $242.20 ↓ -53%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $278.96 ↓ -46%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $280.41 ↓ -46%
Aetna EBR FI $328.70 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $346.00 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $346.00 ↓ -33%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $432.50 ↓ -17%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $557.93 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $605.50 ↑ +17%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $692.00 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $692.00 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $735.25 ↑ +42%

Visitor-reported prices

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Critical care each additional 30 minutes at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $627.60 $71.66 – $941.40
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $570.60 $72.34 – $808.35
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $655.80 $72.34 – $929.05
UPMC Muncy Muncy $504.00 $81.84 – $672.00
UPMC Northwest Seneca $478.80 $81.84 – $678.30
UPMC Somerset Somerset $1,152.00 $70.93 – $1,440.00
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $609.60 $12.06 – $168.81
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $504.00 $81.84 – $672.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →