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Tissue culture skin/biopsy 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

$1,296.60

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.

$2,161.00

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.

$127.63 with UPMC Health Plan vs $1,836.85 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 $127.63 ↓ -90%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $139.08 ↓ -89%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $140.73 ↓ -89%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $140.73 ↓ -89%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $144.08 ↓ -89%
Aetna Medicare $144.95 ↓ -89%
United Healthcare Unison Advantage Non Special Needs $147.77 ↓ -89%
Aetna of PA Medicare $147.77 ↓ -89%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $151.97 ↓ -88%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $151.99 ↓ -88%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $151.99 ↓ -88%
United Healthcare Unison Advantage Special Needs $154.80 ↓ -88%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $207.90 ↓ -84%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families Unison Kids $217.35 ↓ -83%
Aetna Medicaid $226.80 ↓ -83%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $280.29 ↓ -78%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $295.05 ↓ -77%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $301.74 ↓ -77%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $322.09 ↓ -75%
Cigna Commercial $864.40 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $864.40 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity/Managed Care - Social Mission $992.79 ↓ -23%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity/Managed Care $1,223.20 ↓ -6%
Aetna EBR FI $1,253.38 ↓ -3%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $1,296.60 ↑ +0%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $1,333.34 ↑ +3%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $1,361.43 ↑ +5%
Cigna New Business ASO $1,361.43 ↑ +5%
InterGroup PPO $1,404.65 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $1,512.70 ↑ +17%
Health Coalition Partners PPO $1,555.92 ↑ +20%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,728.80 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $1,836.85 ↑ +42%

Visitor-reported prices

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Tissue culture skin/biopsy at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $1,441.80 $117.31 – $2,162.70
UPMC Muncy Muncy $1,299.00 $139.08 – $1,732.00
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $1,575.60 $130.78 – $2,232.10
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $1,768.80 $139.08 – $2,505.80
UPMC Somerset Somerset $1,007.40 $139.08 – $1,259.25
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $1,476.00 $121.51 – $2,091.00
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $1,571.20 $139.08 – $1,767.60
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $1,299.00 $139.08 – $1,732.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →