healthcosts.net

Brain MRI (with contrast) at UPMC Cole

1001 East Second Street, Coudersport, PA · UPMC · · NPI 110485184

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

$1,243.20

Cash price

?

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.

$2,072.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$319.01 with BCBS of Western NY vs $2,144.30 with UPMC Health Plan — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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
BCBS of Western NY Medicare Advantage $319.01 ↓ -74%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $355.95 ↓ -71%
Geisinger Medicaid $471.18 ↓ -62%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $511.21 ↓ -59%
Aetna Commercial $565.36 ↓ -55%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $574.36 ↓ -54%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $577.72 ↓ -54%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $580.16 ↓ -53%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $580.16 ↓ -53%
United Healthcare Medicare $580.16 ↓ -53%
Humana Medicare $585.96 ↓ -53%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC) $594.66 ↓ -52%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicaid $594.66 ↓ -52%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $600.88 ↓ -52%
Cigna Medicare $609.17 ↓ -51%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP $626.57 ↓ -50%
PA Health & Wellness Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $626.57 ↓ -50%
Aetna Medicare $631.96 ↓ -49%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $828.80 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $1,064.58 ↓ -14%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,064.58 ↓ -14%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $1,296.35 ↑ +4%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,296.35 ↑ +4%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $1,350.45 ↑ +9%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $1,450.40 ↑ +17%
Geisinger Commercial $1,554.00 ↑ +25%
Galaxy Health Plan Commercial $1,657.60 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $1,657.60 ↑ +33%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $1,657.60 ↑ +33%
Multiplan PPO/Auto $1,657.60 ↑ +33%
InterGroup PPO $1,657.60 ↑ +33%
United Healthcare Commercial $1,977.00 ↑ +59%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $2,144.30 ↑ +72%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Brain MRI (with contrast) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $4,621.20 $316.41 – $6,546.70
UPMC East Monroeville $5,074.20 $341.40 – $6,765.60
UPMC Hamot Erie $5,178.60 $220.15 – $6,041.70
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $2,586.00 $304.83 – $3,663.50
UPMC Jameson New Castle $2,119.20 $279.12 – $3,108.16
UPMC McKeesport Mckeesport $4,936.20 $315.59 – $6,992.95
UPMC Altoona Altoona $1,699.20 $269.00 – $2,265.60
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $2,854.80 $338.22 – $4,044.30

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →