Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (with and without contrast) at West Virginia University Hospitals

1 Medical Center Dr, Morgantown, WV · Wvumedicine · · NPI 1841271459

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jul 9, 2026 · Ingested Sep 16, 2026

$2,371.50

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.

$4,743.00

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.

$81.84 with wellpoint wv vs $1,422.66 with blue cross blue shield ppo — 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
wellpoint wv chip $81.84 ↓ -97%
wellpoint west virginia mgd mcaid $81.84 ↓ -97%
highmark health options chip $81.84 ↓ -97%
highmark health options west va mgd mcaid $81.84 ↓ -97%
the health plan wv mgd mcaid $83.01 ↓ -96%
the health plan wv chip $83.40 ↓ -96%
aetna better health wv chip $83.40 ↓ -96%
aetna better health mgd medicaid $83.40 ↓ -96%
highmark wholecare pennsylvania medicaid highmark wholecare pennsylvania medicaid $218.28 ↓ -91%
aetna better health pa chip $269.00 ↓ -89%
uhc community pa chip unison kids $277.07 ↓ -88%
upmc for you medicaid upmc for you medicaid $282.45 ↓ -88%
pennsylvania health & wellness medicaid $295.90 ↓ -88%
upmc for kids chip $295.90 ↓ -88%
pennsylvania health and wellness mgd medicaid $295.90 ↓ -88%
amerihealth caritas pa medicaid $301.28 ↓ -87%
geisinger pennsylvania mgd medicaid $322.80 ↓ -86%
highmark pa medicare advantage hmo $335.81 ↓ -86%
peak health medicare advantage all plans $335.81 ↓ -86%
united mine workers of america medicare advantage united mine workers of america medicare advantage $335.81 ↓ -86%
molina oh medicare advantage all plans $335.81 ↓ -86%
upmc for life medicare advantage all plans $335.81 ↓ -86%
caresource oh medicare advantage all plans $335.81 ↓ -86%
anthem pathway anthem pathway $335.81 ↓ -86%
highmark wholecare pa medicare advantage all pla $345.88 ↓ -85%
anthem oh medicare advantage hmo $345.88 ↓ -85%
highmark wv medicare advantage all plans $349.24 ↓ -85%
senior life pa - ma certain hospitals $352.60 ↓ -85%
pa health & wellness medicare advantage all plan $352.60 ↓ -85%
aetna medicare advantage all plans $352.60 ↓ -85%
humana medicare advantage all plans $352.60 ↓ -85%
buckeye oh medicare advantage all plans $352.60 ↓ -85%
the health plan wv medicare advantage all plans $355.96 ↓ -85%
geisinger pa medicare advantage all plans $355.96 ↓ -85%
wv senior advantage isnp $355.96 ↓ -85%
valor health medicare advantage all plans $355.96 ↓ -85%
unitedhealthcare medicare advantage all plans $366.03 ↓ -85%
caresource oh exchange caresource oh exchange $369.39 ↓ -84%
the health plan wv peia $376.78 ↓ -84%
buckeye commercial exchange plan $503.71 ↓ -79%
encova worker's compensation $503.71 ↓ -79%
rockport healthcare group worker's compensation $520.51 ↓ -78%
coventry health care worker's compensation $530.58 ↓ -78%
alliance coal alliance coal $587.67 ↓ -75%
blue cross blue shield traditional blue cross blue shield traditional $1,422.66 ↓ -40%
blue cross blue shield ppo blue cross blue shield ppo $1,422.66 ↓ -40%

Visitor-reported prices

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Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (with and without contrast) at other West-virginia hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Jefferson Medical Center Ranson $1,854.50 not published
Grant Memorial Hospital Petersburg $1,588.80 not published
Reynolds Memorial Hospital Glen Dale $2,348.50 $81.84 – $582.78
Summersville Regional Medical Center Summersville $1,690.50 not published
Berkeley Medical Center Martinsburg $1,859.50 $81.84 – $587.60
Braxton County Memorial Hospital Gassaway $1,928.00 not published
United Hospital Center Bridgeport $1,886.00 $81.84 – $629.39
Jackson General Hospital Ripley $1,830.00 not published

All West-virginia hospitals for this procedure →