healthcosts.net

Homovanillic acid (hva) 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

$225.60

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.

$376.00

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.

$8.25 with UPMC Health Plan vs $319.60 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 Managed Medicaid $8.25 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $8.25 ↓ -96%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $11.12 ↓ -95%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $11.71 ↓ -95%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $12.78 ↓ -94%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $19.35 ↓ -91%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $21.36 ↓ -91%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $22.14 ↓ -90%
Aetna of PA Medicare $23.53 ↓ -90%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $24.20 ↓ -89%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $24.20 ↓ -89%
Aetna Medicare $24.65 ↓ -89%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $29.54 ↓ -87%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $51.34 ↓ -77%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $68.76 ↓ -70%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $85.49 ↓ -62%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $94.75 ↓ -58%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $103.02 ↓ -54%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $105.28 ↓ -53%
Cigna New Business ASO $105.28 ↓ -53%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $114.49 ↓ -49%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $137.53 ↓ -39%
Aetna EBR FI $142.88 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $150.40 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $150.40 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $263.20 ↑ +17%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $300.80 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $300.80 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $319.60 ↑ +42%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Homovanillic acid (hva) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $287.40 $8.25 – $407.15
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $108.00 $8.25 – $162.00
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $94.80 $7.50 – $134.30
UPMC Muncy Muncy $286.80 $8.25 – $382.40
UPMC Northwest Seneca $99.00 $8.25 – $140.25
UPMC Somerset Somerset $81.00 $8.25 – $101.25
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $128.00 $7.50 – $144.00
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $105.60 $8.25 – $140.80

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →