Observation direct referral from physician office for admission at UPMC Cole

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

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

$84.00

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.

$140.00

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.

$38.81 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $168.00 with United Healthcare — 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
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $38.81 ↓ -54%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $39.20 ↓ -53%
United Healthcare Medicare $39.20 ↓ -53%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $39.20 ↓ -53%
Humana Medicare $39.59 ↓ -53%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicaid $40.18 ↓ -52%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC) $40.18 ↓ -52%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $40.60 ↓ -52%
Cigna Medicare $41.16 ↓ -51%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP $42.34 ↓ -50%
PA Health & Wellness Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $42.34 ↓ -50%
Aetna Medicare $42.70 ↓ -49%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $56.00 ↓ -33%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $77.00 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Medicaid $77.00 ↓ -8%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $98.00 ↑ +17%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $103.77 ↑ +24%
Geisinger Commercial $105.00 ↑ +25%
InterGroup PPO $112.00 ↑ +33%
Galaxy Health Plan Commercial $112.00 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $112.00 ↑ +33%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $112.00 ↑ +33%
Multiplan PPO/Auto $112.00 ↑ +33%
Aetna Commercial $114.80 ↑ +37%
United Healthcare Commercial $168.00 ↑ +100%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Observation direct referral from physician office for admission at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Altoona Altoona $117.00 $27.00 – $2,064.00
UPMC Bedford Everett $166.20 $31.88 – $2,207.16
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $420.00 $95.90 – $2,064.00
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $420.00 $169.40 – $3,000.00
UPMC East Monroeville $130.20 $31.88 – $2,207.16
UPMC Hamot Erie $138.60 $674.61 – $728.58
UPMC Northwest Seneca $112.80 $31.88 – $631.28
UPMC Hanover Hanover $420.00 $579.83 – $937.10

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →