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Observation per hour 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

$443.40

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.

$739.00

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.

$25.00 with Aetna vs $4,412.91 with UPMC Health Plan — 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
Aetna Medicare $25.00 ↓ -94%
Aetna EBR ASO $40.00 ↓ -91%
Cigna Commercial $40.00 ↓ -91%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $50.00 ↓ -89%
Aetna EBR FI $58.00 ↓ -87%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $60.00 ↓ -86%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $61.70 ↓ -86%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $63.00 ↓ -86%
Cigna New Business ASO $63.00 ↓ -86%
InterGroup PPO $65.00 ↓ -85%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $70.00 ↓ -84%
Health Coalition Partners PPO $72.00 ↓ -84%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $80.00 ↓ -82%
Humana Commercial $85.00 ↓ -81%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $343.00 ↓ -23%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families Unison MedPLUS $679.00 ↑ +53%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families Unison Kids $747.00 ↑ +68%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity/Managed Care - Social Mission $807.35 ↑ +82%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity/Managed Care $994.68 ↑ +124%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $1,074.19 ↑ +142%
Aetna Medicaid $1,171.85 ↑ +164%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $2,137.42 ↑ +382%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $2,137.43 ↑ +382%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $2,569.10 ↑ +479%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $2,949.20 ↑ +565%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $4,412.91 ↑ +895%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Observation per hour at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $925.80 $26.56 – $1,123.02
UPMC Muncy Muncy $176.40 $44.10 – $264.60
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $793.20 $27.85 – $1,074.19
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $1,750.20 $27.85 – $359.55
UPMC Somerset Somerset $111.60 $27.31 – $139.50
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $838.80 $27.85 – $1,074.19
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $213.60 $48.06 – $240.30
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $176.40 $79.38 – $1,372.04

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →