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Zoledronic acid 4 mg/5 ml intravenous solution at UPMC Western Psychiatric

3811 Ohara St, Pittsburgh, PA · UPMC · · NPI 1174962435

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 6, 2026 · Ingested Aug 13, 2026

$802.20

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.

$1,337.00

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.

$5.06 with Geisinger vs $1,136.45 with Health Payors Organization — 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
Geisinger CHIP $5.06 ↓ -99%
Highmark BCBS of PA Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $155.53 ↓ -81%
Aetna Medicare $334.25 ↓ -58%
Aetna Narrow Network $397.09 ↓ -50%
Aetna Fully Insured $441.21 ↓ -45%
Aetna Commercial $467.95 ↓ -42%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $668.50 ↓ -17%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $802.20 ↑ +0%
Fidelis Medicare $1,002.75 ↑ +25%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $1,136.45 ↑ +42%

Visitor-reported prices

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Zoledronic acid 4 mg/5 ml intravenous solution at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $3,207.00 $0.77 – $157.22
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $3,400.20 $3.19 – $158.71
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $4,010.40 $3.19 – $1,136.45
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $4,010.40 $0.74 – $158.71
UPMC Muncy Muncy $4,651.80 $5.06 – $927.90
UPMC Northwest Seneca $1,069.60 $0.70 – $333.99
UPMC Somerset Somerset $110.40 $0.34 – $155.63
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $4,651.80 $5.06 – $927.90

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →