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Histochemical stains add-on 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

$124.20

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.

$207.00

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.

$17.79 with UPMC Health Plan vs $175.95 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
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $17.79 ↓ -86%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $19.80 ↓ -84%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $33.12 ↓ -73%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $33.12 ↓ -73%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $34.41 ↓ -72%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $44.65 ↓ -64%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $46.09 ↓ -63%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $47.00 ↓ -62%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $51.31 ↓ -59%
Aetna Medicare $51.75 ↓ -58%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $52.16 ↓ -58%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $56.72 ↓ -54%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $57.30 ↓ -54%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $57.96 ↓ -53%
Cigna New Business ASO $57.96 ↓ -53%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $76.74 ↓ -38%
Aetna EBR FI $78.66 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $82.80 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $82.80 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $92.18 ↓ -26%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $101.56 ↓ -18%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $103.50 ↓ -17%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $144.90 ↑ +17%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $165.60 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $165.60 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $175.95 ↑ +42%

Visitor-reported prices

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Histochemical stains add-on at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $121.20 $17.64 – $181.80
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $122.40 $17.75 – $173.40
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $192.60 $10.31 – $272.85
UPMC Northwest Seneca $57.60 $17.76 – $94.12
UPMC Somerset Somerset $126.00 $9.88 – $157.50
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $193.20 $11.00 – $257.60

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →