Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (with and without contrast) at UPMC Williamsport
700 High Street, Williamsport, PA · UPMC · · NPI 164974648
$4,010.40
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.
?
What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.
$6,684.00
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.
?
The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.
$343.82 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $5,347.20 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 →
?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highmark BCBS of PA | Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage | $343.82 | ↓ -91% |
| United Healthcare Community Plan for Families | PA Medicaid | $344.32 | ↓ -91% |
| UPMC Health Plan | Managed Medicare | $347.29 | ↓ -91% |
| AmeriHealth Caritas | Medicare | $350.69 | ↓ -91% |
| Aetna | Medicare | $350.69 | ↓ -91% |
| United Healthcare | Medicare | $364.31 | ↓ -91% |
| Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) | Medicare | $367.68 | ↓ -91% |
| PA Health & Wellness | Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) | $367.72 | ↓ -91% |
| UPMC Health Plan | Managed Medicaid | $372.90 | ↓ -91% |
| Geisinger | Medicaid/CHIP | $372.90 | ↓ -91% |
| UPMC Health Plan | CHIP | $372.90 | ↓ -91% |
| AmeriHealth Caritas | Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid | $382.22 | ↓ -90% |
| Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) | Medicaid | $476.30 | ↓ -88% |
| PA Health & Wellness | PA Medicaid HMO | $577.72 | ↓ -86% |
| UPMC Work Partners | Workers Comp | $2,637.61 | ↓ -34% |
| Highmark BCBS of PA | Managed Care - Social Mission | $2,659.56 | ↓ -34% |
| Aetna | PEBTF Custom Network | $2,710.36 | ↓ -32% |
| Three Rivers Provider Network | All | $2,821.63 | ↓ -30% |
| Multiplan | Worker's Compensation | $2,913.64 | ↓ -27% |
| UPMC Health Plan | Commercial | $2,914.22 | ↓ -27% |
| Highmark BCBS of PA | Bluecare HMO/FPLIC PPO/Traditional Products | $3,132.12 | ↓ -22% |
| Aetna | Commercial | $3,188.27 | ↓ -20% |
| Coventry/First Health | Commercial | $3,348.68 | ↓ -17% |
| Wirerope Works | Commercial | $3,716.30 | ↓ -7% |
| Aetna | First Health | $4,411.44 | ↑ +10% |
| Geisinger | Commercial | $4,478.28 | ↑ +12% |
| Coventry/First Health | FH-Medical Rental | $4,498.33 | ↑ +12% |
| United Healthcare | Commercial | $4,571.86 | ↑ +14% |
| Cigna | Commercial | $4,578.54 | ↑ +14% |
| Multiplan | Auto | $5,213.52 | ↑ +30% |
| Multiplan | PPO (Includes PHCS as a Payer) | $5,213.52 | ↑ +30% |
| America's Choice | PPO | $5,347.20 | ↑ +33% |
| InterGroup | PPO | $5,347.20 | ↑ +33% |
| US Family Health Plan | Tricare Prime | not published by hospital | — |
Visitor-reported prices
Comments
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 |