Observation direct referral from physician office for admission at UPMC Hamot

201 State Street, Erie, PA · UPMC · · NPI 1487647590

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 6, 2026 · Ingested Aug 13, 2026

$138.60

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.

$231.00

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.

$34.65 with Univera vs $4,753.31 with BCBS of Western NY — 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
Univera Univera_Medicare_Hamot_2024 $34.65 ↓ -75%
Aetna Commercial $57.75 ↓ -58%
Cigna New Business ASO $69.30 ↓ -50%
Cigna NBR ASO/FI $69.30 ↓ -50%
Univera Commercial $76.23 ↓ -45%
Independent Health Commercial $80.85 ↓ -42%
Cigna EBR $92.40 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $92.40 ↓ -33%
InterGroup Health Coalition Partners/PPO $150.15 ↑ +8%
Aetna AXA/MMO $161.70 ↑ +17%
Multiplan PPO (Includes PHCS as a Payer) $161.70 ↑ +17%
Multiplan Complimentary Network Rate (Includes Multiplan as Payer) $184.80 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Beech Street $184.80 ↑ +33%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $235.00 ↑ +70%
Fidelis Medicare $674.61 ↑ +387%
Aetna Medicare $688.10 ↑ +396%
Wellcare Medicare Advantage $694.85 ↑ +401%
BCBS of Western NY Medicare Advantage $708.34 ↑ +411%
United Healthcare Medicare $721.83 ↑ +421%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $728.51 ↑ +426%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $728.58 ↑ +426%
Cigna Medicare $728.58 ↑ +426%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $728.58 ↑ +426%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $2,064.00 ↑ +1389%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $2,137.42 ↑ +1442%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $2,137.43 ↑ +1442%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $2,207.16 ↑ +1492%
Independent Health Medicare Advantage $2,341.00 ↑ +1589%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $2,569.10 ↑ +1754%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $2,795.06 ↑ +1917%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $2,997.78 ↑ +2063%
BCBS of Western NY Commercial $4,753.31 ↑ +3330%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
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 Cole Coudersport $84.00 $38.81 – $112.00
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $420.00 $169.40 – $3,000.00
UPMC East Monroeville $130.20 $31.88 – $2,207.16
UPMC Northwest Seneca $112.80 $31.88 – $631.28
UPMC Hanover Hanover $420.00 $579.83 – $937.10

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →