Abd/low ext cath 1st at UPMC Altoona

620 Howard Avenue, Altoona, PA · UPMC · · NPI 112418570

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published unknown · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$1,824.00

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.

$3,040.00

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.

$717.91 with UPMC Work Partners vs $2,894.33 with UPMC Health Plan — 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
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $717.91 ↓ -61%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $836.96 ↓ -54%
Cigna Commercial $1,520.00 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $1,520.00 ↓ -17%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,520.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $1,558.30 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $1,611.20 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $1,672.00 ↓ -8%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $1,672.00 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Medicaid $1,672.00 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $2,432.00 ↑ +33%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $2,656.30 ↑ +46%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $2,894.33 ↑ +59%

Visitor-reported prices

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Abd/low ext cath 1st at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $4,321.20 $751.30 – $9,539.00
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $4,321.20 $760.24 – $6,121.70
UPMC East Monroeville $3,504.60 $763.10 – $4,672.80
UPMC Hamot Erie $3,583.20 $763.10 – $3,297.90
UPMC Northwest Seneca $5,015.40 $726.45 – $2,172.24
UPMC Hanover Hanover $4,321.20 $760.24 – $2,656.30
UPMC Jameson New Castle $949.20 $249.85 – $2,656.30
UPMC Lititz Lititz $4,321.20 $249.85 – $2,656.30

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →