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Exchange drainage catheter 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

$3,549.60

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.

$5,916.00

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.

$64.68 with UPMC Health Plan vs $6,115.99 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 $64.68 ↓ -98%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $64.68 ↓ -98%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $87.20 ↓ -98%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $91.79 ↓ -97%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $100.21 ↓ -97%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $208.61 ↓ -94%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $1,025.53 ↓ -71%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $1,490.83 ↓ -58%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $1,561.50 ↓ -56%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $1,620.98 ↓ -54%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $1,656.48 ↓ -53%
Cigna New Business ASO $1,656.48 ↓ -53%
Aetna of PA Medicare $1,898.98 ↓ -47%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,953.05 ↓ -45%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $1,953.23 ↓ -45%
Aetna Medicare $1,989.40 ↓ -44%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $2,066.91 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $2,248.08 ↓ -37%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $2,283.32 ↓ -36%
Aetna EBR ASO $2,366.40 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $2,366.40 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $2,968.21 ↓ -16%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $3,058.00 ↓ -14%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $3,975.26 ↑ +12%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $4,141.20 ↑ +17%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $4,732.80 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $4,732.80 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $5,028.60 ↑ +42%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $6,115.99 ↑ +72%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
Tricare East Region not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Exchange drainage catheter at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,393.40 $64.68 – $3,390.65
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $3,496.20 $64.68 – $5,244.30
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $5,418.60 $64.68 – $7,676.35
UPMC Muncy Muncy $971.40 $64.68 – $1,295.20
UPMC Northwest Seneca $4,902.00 $64.68 – $6,944.50
UPMC Somerset Somerset $6,913.20 $64.68 – $8,641.50
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $1,175.20 $64.68 – $1,322.10
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $971.40 $64.68 – $1,295.20

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →