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Placement nephrostomy catheter (both sides) at UPMC Williamsport

700 High Street, Williamsport, PA · UPMC · · NPI 164974648

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

$4,370.40

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$7,284.00

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.

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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$993.28 with United Healthcare Community Plan for Families vs $5,827.20 with InterGroup — 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.

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Negotiated rate vs. cash
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $993.28 ↓ -77%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $1,085.28 ↓ -75%
Three Rivers Provider Network All $1,160.99 ↓ -73%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $1,198.85 ↓ -73%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $1,972.15 ↓ -55%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $1,992.07 ↓ -54%
Aetna Medicare $2,011.60 ↓ -54%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $2,011.60 ↓ -54%
United Healthcare Medicare $2,089.72 ↓ -52%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $2,109.06 ↓ -52%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $2,109.25 ↓ -52%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $2,898.30 ↓ -34%
Aetna PEBTF Custom Network $2,953.66 ↓ -32%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $3,175.82 ↓ -27%
Highmark BCBS of PA Bluecare HMO/FPLIC PPO/Traditional Products $3,413.28 ↓ -22%
Aetna Commercial $3,474.47 ↓ -20%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $3,649.28 ↓ -17%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $4,006.20 ↓ -8%
Wirerope Works Commercial $4,049.90 ↓ -7%
Aetna First Health $4,807.44 ↑ +10%
Geisinger Commercial $4,880.28 ↑ +12%
Coventry/First Health FH-Medical Rental $4,902.13 ↑ +12%
United Healthcare Commercial $4,982.26 ↑ +14%
Cigna Commercial $4,989.54 ↑ +14%
Multiplan Auto $5,681.52 ↑ +30%
Multiplan PPO (Includes PHCS as a Payer) $5,681.52 ↑ +30%
America's Choice PPO $5,827.20 ↑ +33%
InterGroup PPO $5,827.20 ↑ +33%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Placement nephrostomy catheter (both sides) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,959.80 $183.78 – $4,193.05
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $1,696.20 $182.30 – $2,544.30
UPMC Northwest Seneca $2,483.40 $237.66 – $3,518.15
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $3,684.00 $186.88 – $5,219.00
UPMC Somerset Somerset $5,191.20 $197.53 – $6,489.00
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $2,164.80 $190.53 – $3,066.80

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →