Augumentation percutaneous vertebral inc cavity creation ea addl thoracic/lumbar vertebral body at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$7,629.60

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.

$12,716.00

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.

$2,247.56 with UPMC Health Plan vs $10,172.80 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
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $2,247.56 ↓ -71%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $2,448.96 ↓ -68%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $2,834.74 ↓ -63%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $5,734.60 ↓ -25%
Cigna Commercial $6,358.00 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $6,358.00 ↓ -17%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $6,358.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $6,518.22 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $6,739.48 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $6,993.80 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Medicaid $6,993.80 ↓ -8%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $6,993.80 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $10,172.80 ↑ +33%

Visitor-reported prices

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Augumentation percutaneous vertebral inc cavity creation ea addl thoracic/lumbar vertebral body at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $7,825.80 $242.61 – $11,086.55
UPMC Cole Coudersport $396.00 $182.95 – $5,734.60
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $7,900.20 $242.61 – $11,701.33
UPMC East Monroeville $14,634.60 $1,283.96 – $19,512.80
UPMC Hamot Erie $16,396.20 $2,790.43 – $5,734.60
UPMC Hanover Hanover $7,825.80 $242.61 – $6,001.33
UPMC Lititz Lititz $7,825.80 $196.29 – $6,001.33
UPMC Memorial York $7,825.80 $196.29 – $6,001.33

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →