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Assay of sialic acid at UPMC Northwest

100 Fairfield Drive, Seneca, PA · UPMC · · NPI 1619069440

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

$229.20

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.

$382.00

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.

$12.19 with UPMC Health Plan vs $324.70 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 Managed Medicare $12.19 ↓ -95%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $13.29 ↓ -94%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $13.44 ↓ -94%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $13.44 ↓ -94%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $13.76 ↓ -94%
Aetna Medicare $13.84 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Unison Advantage Non Special Needs $14.11 ↓ -94%
Aetna of PA Medicare $14.11 ↓ -94%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $14.51 ↓ -94%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $14.52 ↓ -94%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $14.52 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Unison Advantage Special Needs $14.78 ↓ -94%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $15.40 ↓ -93%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families Unison Kids $16.10 ↓ -93%
Aetna Medicaid $16.80 ↓ -93%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $20.76 ↓ -91%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $21.86 ↓ -90%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $23.86 ↓ -90%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $31.48 ↓ -86%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity/Managed Care - Social Mission $94.70 ↓ -59%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity/Managed Care $116.68 ↓ -49%
Cigna Commercial $152.80 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $152.80 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR FI $221.56 ↓ -3%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $229.20 ↑ +0%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $235.69 ↑ +3%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $240.66 ↑ +5%
Cigna New Business ASO $240.66 ↑ +5%
InterGroup PPO $248.30 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $267.40 ↑ +17%
Health Coalition Partners PPO $275.04 ↑ +20%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $305.60 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $324.70 ↑ +42%

Visitor-reported prices

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Assay of sialic acid at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $158.40 $12.49 – $224.40
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $134.40 $11.20 – $201.60
UPMC Muncy Muncy $188.40 $13.29 – $251.20
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $540.60 $13.29 – $765.85
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $159.60 $11.60 – $226.10
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $188.40 $13.29 – $282.60
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $188.40 $13.29 – $251.20

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →