Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (without contrast) at University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center

3999 Richmond Road, Beachwood, OH · University Hospitals · · NPI 1609189604

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jul 14, 2026 · Ingested Aug 13, 2026

$2,265.75

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.

$3,021.00

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.

$225.74 with Devoted Health vs $2,718.90 with Fortified Provider Network — 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
Devoted Health Medicare Advantage $225.74 ↓ -90%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $225.74 ↓ -90%
WellCare by AllWell Medicare Advantage $225.74 ↓ -90%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $225.74 ↓ -90%
Anthem Medicare Advantage $225.74 ↓ -90%
Humana Medicare Advantage $225.74 ↓ -90%
The Health Plan Medicare Advantage $225.74 ↓ -90%
Molina Medicare Advantage $225.74 ↓ -90%
SummaCare Medicare Advantage $225.74 ↓ -90%
Medical Mutual of Ohio Medicare Advantage $225.74 ↓ -90%
Primetime Health Plan Medicare Advantage $225.74 ↓ -90%
Cigna Medicare Advantage $225.74 ↓ -90%
Paramount Medicare Advantage $232.51 ↓ -90%
Valor Health Plans Medicare Advantage $237.02 ↓ -90%
Perennial Advantage of Ohio Medicare Advantage $237.02 ↓ -90%
CareSource Marketplace $406.32 ↓ -82%
Ambetter Commercial $406.32 ↓ -82%
Medical Mutual of Ohio Northern Ohio Commercial $667.64 ↓ -71%
University Health Employee Plan (Contigo) Commercial $728.00 ↓ -68%
Amish Church Fund and Workers Aid Plan Fund $800.00 ↓ -65%
Amish Aid Community Plan Fund $800.00 ↓ -65%
Buckeye Plain Ministries Fund $800.00 ↓ -65%
SummaCare Commercial $900.00 ↓ -60%
Medical Mutual of Ohio MedFlex Commercial $1,125.00 ↓ -50%
Medical Mutual of Ohio SuperMed Commercial $1,250.00 ↓ -45%
Christian Healthcare Ministries Fund $1,351.00 ↓ -40%
Cigna OAP Commercial $1,375.00 ↓ -39%
Medical Mutual of Ohio NAS Commercial $1,375.00 ↓ -39%
AultCare Commercial $1,425.00 ↓ -37%
Immergrun Commercial $1,510.50 ↓ -33%
Sunrise Plan Communities Fund $1,510.50 ↓ -33%
Anthem Pathway Commercial $1,553.00 ↓ -31%
Cigna PPO Commercial $1,676.66 ↓ -26%
Anthem Commercial $1,726.00 ↓ -24%
Anthem Traditional $1,921.36 ↓ -15%
United Healthcare Nexus Commercial $1,924.00 ↓ -15%
JP Farley Commercial $1,957.00 ↓ -14%
Ohio Health Choice Preferred Health Choice Plus Commercial $1,963.65 ↓ -13%
HealthSmart Commercial $1,963.65 ↓ -13%
The Health Plan Commercial $1,993.86 ↓ -12%
Aetna OPN Commercial $2,093.00 ↓ -8%
Medical Mutual Traditional/Health Ohio Commercial $2,114.70 ↓ -7%
United Healthcare Commercial $2,186.00 ↓ -4%
Aetna Commercial $2,326.00 ↑ +3%
Beech Street Commercial $2,416.80 ↑ +7%
Ohio Preferred Network Commercial $2,416.80 ↑ +7%
First Health Commercial $2,507.43 ↑ +11%
Century Health Network Commercial $2,567.85 ↑ +13%
Private Healthcare System Commercial $2,598.06 ↑ +15%
Ohio Health Choice Commercial $2,718.90 ↑ +20%
MultiPlan Commercial $2,718.90 ↑ +20%
Fortified Provider Network Commercial $2,718.90 ↑ +20%
Buckeye Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Molina Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
CareSource Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Aetna (Ohio Rise) Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Humana Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (without contrast) at other Ohio hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
University Hospitals Beachwood Medical Center Beachwood $2,265.75 $225.74 – $2,718.90
Trinity Medical Center East Steubenville $2,117.63 $1,146.00 – $3,287.90
cleveland clinic main campus Cleveland $1,507.35 $1.10 – $1,501.20
akron general Akron $1,507.35 $0.87 – $1,501.20
avon hospital Avon $1,084.20 $0.87 – $1,501.20
euclid hospital Euclid $1,084.20 $0.87 – $1,501.20
fairview hospital Cleveland $1,084.20 $0.87 – $1,501.20
lutheran hospital Cleveland $1,084.20 $0.87 – $1,501.20

All Ohio hospitals for this procedure →