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Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (with and without 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

$1,926.00

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.

Full explanation →

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

$3,210.00

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.

$355.95 with Aetna vs $3,833.37 with UPMC Health Plan — 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
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $355.95 ↓ -82%
BCBS of Western NY Medicare Advantage $379.62 ↓ -80%
Geisinger Medicaid $471.18 ↓ -76%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $511.21 ↓ -73%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $577.72 ↓ -70%
Aetna Commercial $670.61 ↓ -65%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $889.81 ↓ -54%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $898.80 ↓ -53%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $898.80 ↓ -53%
United Healthcare Medicare $898.80 ↓ -53%
Humana Medicare $907.79 ↓ -53%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC) $921.27 ↓ -52%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicaid $921.27 ↓ -52%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $930.90 ↓ -52%
Cigna Medicare $943.74 ↓ -51%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP $970.70 ↓ -50%
PA Health & Wellness Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $970.70 ↓ -50%
Aetna Medicare $979.05 ↓ -49%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $1,219.00 ↓ -37%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,219.00 ↓ -37%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $1,284.00 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $1,484.39 ↓ -23%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,484.39 ↓ -23%
United Healthcare Commercial $1,977.00 ↑ +3%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $2,247.00 ↑ +17%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $2,405.45 ↑ +25%
Geisinger Commercial $2,407.50 ↑ +25%
Galaxy Health Plan Commercial $2,568.00 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $2,568.00 ↑ +33%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $2,568.00 ↑ +33%
Multiplan PPO/Auto $2,568.00 ↑ +33%
InterGroup PPO $2,568.00 ↑ +33%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $3,833.37 ↑ +99%

Visitor-reported prices

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Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (with and without contrast) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $5,999.40 $316.41 – $8,499.15
UPMC East Monroeville $6,218.40 $341.40 – $8,291.20
UPMC Hamot Erie $2,562.60 $281.64 – $2,989.70
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $3,601.80 $304.83 – $5,102.55
UPMC Jameson New Castle $2,946.00 $309.35 – $4,320.80
UPMC McKeesport Mckeesport $6,049.20 $315.59 – $8,569.70
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $2,713.80 $338.22 – $3,844.55
UPMC Bedford Everett $2,916.00 $122.85 – $4,374.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →