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Scr c/v cyto,thinlayer,rescr 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

$78.00

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.

$130.00

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.

$22.87 with UPMC Health Plan vs $333.51 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 Medicare $22.87 ↓ -71%
Aetna of PA Medicare $27.81 ↓ -64%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $28.61 ↓ -63%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $28.61 ↓ -63%
Aetna Medicare $29.14 ↓ -63%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $32.76 ↓ -58%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $35.62 ↓ -54%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $36.40 ↓ -53%
Cigna New Business ASO $36.40 ↓ -53%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $39.93 ↓ -49%
Aetna EBR FI $49.40 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $52.00 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $52.00 ↓ -33%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $71.50 ↓ -8%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $71.63 ↓ -8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $91.00 ↑ +17%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $104.00 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $104.00 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $110.50 ↑ +42%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $124.51 ↑ +60%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $166.75 ↑ +114%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $207.31 ↑ +166%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $277.64 ↑ +256%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $333.51 ↑ +328%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Scr c/v cyto,thinlayer,rescr at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $78.00 $22.08 – $117.00
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $78.00 $24.62 – $110.50
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $78.00 $19.39 – $110.50
UPMC Muncy Muncy $82.20 $20.55 – $123.30
UPMC Northwest Seneca $84.00 $24.02 – $119.00
UPMC Somerset Somerset $189.60 $18.58 – $138.00
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $104.00 $20.68 – $115.20
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $78.00 $20.68 – $117.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →