Aco med nutria tx/group, ea 30 min 97804aco at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$20.40

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.

$34.00

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.

$5.11 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $27.20 with Private Health Care Systems — 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
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $5.11 ↓ -75%
Cigna Commercial $17.00 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $17.00 ↓ -17%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $17.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $17.43 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $18.02 ↓ -12%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $18.03 ↓ -12%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $18.70 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Commercial $18.70 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Medicaid $18.70 ↓ -8%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $19.65 ↓ -4%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $27.20 ↑ +33%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Aco med nutria tx/group, ea 30 min 97804aco at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $52.80 $12.06 – $115.00
UPMC Cole Coudersport $52.80 $16.30 – $70.40
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $52.80 $12.46 – $74.80
UPMC Hamot Erie $20.40 $5.11 – $37.09
UPMC Hanover Hanover $52.80 $12.46 – $115.00
UPMC Lititz Lititz $52.80 $12.46 – $115.00
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $25.80 $5.16 – $21.53
UPMC Memorial York $52.80 $4.17 – $115.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →