Adj gastric band via subq port at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$104.40

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$174.00

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.

$18.59 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $965.36 with Cigna — 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 $18.59 ↓ -82%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $48.72 ↓ -53%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $53.09 ↓ -49%
Cigna Commercial $87.00 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $87.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $89.19 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $92.22 ↓ -12%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $95.70 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Commercial $95.70 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Medicaid $95.70 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $139.20 ↑ +33%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $911.55 ↑ +773%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $926.56 ↑ +788%
United Healthcare Medicare $956.42 ↑ +816%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $965.36 ↑ +825%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $965.36 ↑ +825%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $965.36 ↑ +825%
Cigna Medicare $965.36 ↑ +825%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Adj gastric band via subq port at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $109.80 $36.03 – $965.36
UPMC Hamot Erie $3,098.40 $18.59 – $1,300.05
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $2,057.40 $27.29 – $965.36
UPMC Jameson New Castle $1,264.80 $18.92 – $1,206.70
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $1,952.40 $18.77 – $983.24
UPMC McKeesport Mckeesport $96.00 $18.77 – $983.24
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $2,164.80 $18.59 – $983.24
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,977.20 $18.77 – $983.24

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →