Culture, blood
Facility: UPMC Mercy
Billing Code: 87040 (CPT)
Highest price of the 9 PA hospitals we have prices for — worth calling around.
Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 PA hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.
⚠ The cash price looks unusually high next to the insurance price — it may be the full list price, not a real cash discount. Call to confirm the self-pay rate.
A fair price for a Culture, blood is about $12 (about 1.2× the $10 Medicare rate). UPMC Mercy charges insurers about $16, or about $146 in cash — above the fair price. Located in Pittsburgh, PA.
This price is above the fair BaseRate — you may be able to pay less
Ask the hospital for the cash / self-pay price, check whether you qualify for financial assistance, or negotiate the bill down toward the fair price of about $12. Many patients pay well below the first number they’re quoted — the checklists below walk you through it.
What each insurance company pays
Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.
4 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital
Crossed out = this hospital hasn’t published a negotiated price for that insurer for this procedure. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t accepted — ask your insurer.
| Insurance company | Price range | vs. Medicare |
|---|---|---|
| UnitedHealthcaremajor | $16 | 155% |
| Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor | $11 - $64 | 107% |
| Aetnamajor | $11 - $98 | 107% |
| Cignamajor | $83 - $146 | 804% |
| AmeriHealth | $11 - $22 | 107% |
| Geisinger | $10 | 97% |
| UPMC Health Plan | $9 - $64 | 87% |
| + 7 smaller / regional plans | $11 - $220 |
Self-Pay How to get the cash price
Insurance Before you use insurance
Estimate your out-of-pocket cost
A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.
Other Procedures at UPMC Mercy
Compare: Culture, blood at other PA hospitals
- Penn State Health St. Joseph · Reading $10
- Milton S Hershey Medical Center · Hershey $10
- Advanced Surgical Hospital · Washington $10
- Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center · Enola $10
- Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center · Lancaster $10
- Saint Vincent Hospital · Erie $11
- UPMC Jameson · New Castle $11
- Temple Health - Chestnut Hill Hospital · Philadelphia $11
Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.