X-ray spine single view 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

$379.80

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.

$633.00

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.

$17.80 with BCBS of Western NY vs $506.40 with InterGroup — 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 Commercial $17.80 ↓ -95%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $23.54 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $24.61 ↓ -94%
Aetna Medicaid $25.68 ↓ -93%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $27.57 ↓ -93%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $29.74 ↓ -92%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $31.74 ↓ -92%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $32.27 ↓ -92%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $33.41 ↓ -91%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $36.47 ↓ -90%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $46.81 ↓ -88%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $59.32 ↓ -84%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity/Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity/Managed Care/Managed Care - Social Mission $83.30 ↓ -78%
Univera Univera_Medicare_Hamot_2024 $94.95 ↓ -75%
Fidelis Medicare $96.88 ↓ -74%
Aetna Medicare $98.82 ↓ -74%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $98.90 ↓ -74%
Wellcare Medicare Advantage $99.79 ↓ -74%
BCBS of Western NY Medicare Advantage $101.72 ↓ -73%
United Healthcare Medicare $103.66 ↓ -73%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $104.62 ↓ -72%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $104.63 ↓ -72%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $104.63 ↓ -72%
Cigna Medicare $104.63 ↓ -72%
Independent Health Medicare Advantage $118.50 ↓ -69%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $133.27 ↓ -65%
Independent Health Commercial $157.79 ↓ -58%
Aetna Commercial $158.25 ↓ -58%
Cigna NBR ASO/FI $189.90 ↓ -50%
Cigna New Business ASO $189.90 ↓ -50%
Univera Commercial $208.89 ↓ -45%
Cigna Commercial $253.20 ↓ -33%
Cigna EBR $253.20 ↓ -33%
United Healthcare Commercial $287.70 ↓ -24%
InterGroup Health Coalition Partners/PPO $411.45 ↑ +8%
Aetna AXA/MMO $443.10 ↑ +17%
Multiplan PPO (Includes PHCS as a Payer) $443.10 ↑ +17%
Multiplan Complimentary Network Rate (Includes Multiplan as Payer) $506.40 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Beech Street $506.40 ↑ +33%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

X-ray spine single view at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Altoona Altoona $189.60 $14.46 – $252.80
UPMC Bedford Everett $100.20 $22.47 – $150.30
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $188.40 $18.94 – $266.90
UPMC Cole Coudersport $142.80 $22.47 – $190.40
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $188.40 $18.94 – $266.90
UPMC East Monroeville $436.20 $23.54 – $581.60
UPMC Northwest Seneca $105.00 $23.54 – $88.15
UPMC Hanover Hanover $188.40 $18.94 – $134.58

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →