healthcosts.net

Cytopathology fluids/washings/brushings smears with interpretation 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

$137.40

Cash price

?

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.

$229.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$6.76 with UPMC Health Plan vs $194.65 with Humana — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 Commercial $6.76 ↓ -95%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $12.23 ↓ -91%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $21.27 ↓ -85%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $28.48 ↓ -79%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $29.15 ↓ -79%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $29.15 ↓ -79%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $32.31 ↓ -76%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $35.41 ↓ -74%
Aetna of PA Medicare $39.29 ↓ -71%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $39.30 ↓ -71%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $40.41 ↓ -71%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $40.41 ↓ -71%
Aetna Medicare $41.16 ↓ -70%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $41.37 ↓ -70%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $45.16 ↓ -67%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $47.43 ↓ -65%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $56.97 ↓ -59%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $57.71 ↓ -58%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $62.75 ↓ -54%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $64.12 ↓ -53%
Cigna New Business ASO $64.12 ↓ -53%
Aetna EBR FI $87.02 ↓ -37%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $90.52 ↓ -34%
Aetna EBR ASO $91.60 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $91.60 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $160.30 ↑ +17%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $183.20 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $183.20 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $194.65 ↑ +42%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
Tricare East Region not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Cytopathology fluids/washings/brushings smears with interpretation at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $297.00 $6.71 – $445.50
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $213.60 $6.74 – $302.60
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $1,102.20 $7.12 – $1,561.45
UPMC Muncy Muncy $232.20 $8.32 – $309.60
UPMC Northwest Seneca $68.40 $6.75 – $102.95
UPMC Somerset Somerset $78.60 $7.47 – $98.25
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $280.80 $8.32 – $315.90
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $232.20 $8.32 – $309.60

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →