healthcosts.net

Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (without contrast) at UPMC McKeesport

1500 Fifth Avenue, Mckeesport, PA · UPMC · · NPI 104370353

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

$3,834.60

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.

$6,391.00

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.

$213.60 with UPMC Health Plan vs $5,432.35 with Humana — 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
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $213.60 ↓ -94%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $236.40 ↓ -94%
Aetna of PA Medicare $241.97 ↓ -94%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $248.89 ↓ -94%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $248.89 ↓ -94%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $248.89 ↓ -94%
Aetna Medicare $253.50 ↓ -93%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $287.49 ↓ -93%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $287.49 ↓ -93%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $387.58 ↓ -90%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $407.99 ↓ -89%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $445.39 ↓ -88%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $557.22 ↓ -85%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $633.34 ↓ -83%
Premier Comp Solutions Worker's Comp $1,267.55 ↓ -67%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,325.57 ↓ -65%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $1,362.62 ↓ -64%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,775.27 ↓ -54%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,973.33 ↓ -49%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $2,217.68 ↓ -42%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $2,387.71 ↓ -38%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $2,409.41 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR FI $2,428.58 ↓ -37%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $2,460.53 ↓ -36%
Cigna New Business ASO $2,460.53 ↓ -36%
Cigna Commercial $2,556.40 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $2,556.40 ↓ -33%
InterGroup PPO $3,195.50 ↓ -17%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $3,197.81 ↓ -17%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $3,834.60 ↑ +0%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $4,473.70 ↑ +17%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $5,112.80 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $5,112.80 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $5,432.35 ↑ +42%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
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

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

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $3,801.60 $214.16 – $5,385.60
UPMC East Monroeville $3,940.80 $231.07 – $5,254.40
UPMC Hamot Erie $1,642.80 $183.52 – $1,916.60
UPMC Jameson New Castle $2,796.00 $197.27 – $4,100.80
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $1,656.00 $228.92 – $2,346.00
UPMC Bedford Everett $1,705.20 $83.15 – $2,557.80
UPMC Altoona Altoona $1,699.20 $187.20 – $2,265.60
UPMC Cole Coudersport $1,042.20 $224.37 – $1,389.60

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →