Aep thrshld est mlt freq i&r at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$261.00

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.

$435.00

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.

$86.16 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $348.00 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 $86.16 ↓ -67%
Aetna Medicaid $92.34 ↓ -65%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $96.96 ↓ -63%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $101.57 ↓ -61%
Geisinger Medicaid $128.34 ↓ -51%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $133.67 ↓ -49%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $136.94 ↓ -48%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $139.25 ↓ -47%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $144.15 ↓ -45%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $152.25 ↓ -42%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $157.37 ↓ -40%
Cigna Commercial $217.50 ↓ -17%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $217.50 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $217.50 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $222.98 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $230.55 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $239.25 ↓ -8%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $302.76 ↑ +16%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $307.75 ↑ +18%
United Healthcare Medicare $317.66 ↑ +22%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $320.63 ↑ +23%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $320.63 ↑ +23%
Cigna Medicare $320.63 ↑ +23%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $320.63 ↑ +23%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $348.00 ↑ +33%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
Tricare East Region not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Aep thrshld est mlt freq i&r at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Hamot Erie $898.20 $86.16 – $395.44
UPMC Jameson New Castle $1,593.60 $87.68 – $371.10
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $831.60 $86.98 – $320.63
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $519.60 $86.16 – $326.57
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $1,593.60 $86.98 – $326.57
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $1,635.60 $86.98 – $326.57
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $295.20 $101.57 – $157.37
Uniontown Hospital Uniontown $619.00 $78.24 – $434.70

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →