Biopsy abdominal mass at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$1,224.60

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.

$2,041.00

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.

$80.97 with Aetna vs $1,868.13 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
Aetna Medicaid $80.97 ↓ -93%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $85.02 ↓ -93%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $89.07 ↓ -93%
Geisinger Medicaid $112.54 ↓ -91%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $120.08 ↓ -90%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $122.10 ↓ -90%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $126.40 ↓ -90%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $137.99 ↓ -89%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $545.04 ↓ -55%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $650.93 ↓ -47%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $1,020.50 ↓ -17%
Cigna Commercial $1,020.50 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $1,046.22 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $1,081.73 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $1,122.55 ↓ -8%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $1,575.29 ↑ +29%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $1,601.24 ↑ +31%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,632.80 ↑ +33%
United Healthcare Medicare $1,652.83 ↑ +35%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $1,668.28 ↑ +36%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $1,668.28 ↑ +36%
Cigna Medicare $1,668.28 ↑ +36%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,668.28 ↑ +36%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,714.50 ↑ +40%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $1,868.13 ↑ +53%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Biopsy abdominal mass at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $2,461.20 $102.83 – $3,486.70
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $2,461.20 $102.83 – $3,486.70
UPMC East Monroeville $1,689.60 $89.07 – $2,252.80
UPMC Hamot Erie $2,312.40 $89.07 – $2,246.66
UPMC Northwest Seneca $2,419.20 $89.07 – $1,621.93
UPMC Hanover Hanover $2,461.20 $102.83 – $2,476.51
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $2,304.60 $89.07 – $1,668.28
UPMC Jameson New Castle $2,304.60 $89.07 – $2,085.34

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →