Biopsy skin incisional single lesion at UPMC Altoona
620 Howard Avenue, Altoona, PA · UPMC · · NPI 112418570
$613.80
Cash price 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.
$1,023.00
Gross charge 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.
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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.
$49.21 with Aetna vs $929.06 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 →
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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 ?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 ?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 | $49.21 | ↓ -92% |
| United Healthcare Community Plan for Families | PA CHIP/PA Medicaid | $51.67 | ↓ -92% |
| UPMC Health Plan | Managed Medicaid | $54.13 | ↓ -91% |
| Geisinger | Medicaid | $68.40 | ↓ -89% |
| Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) | Medicaid | $72.98 | ↓ -88% |
| Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) | Medicaid/CHIP | $74.21 | ↓ -88% |
| AmeriHealth Caritas | Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid | $76.82 | ↓ -87% |
| PA Health & Wellness | Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO | $83.86 | ↓ -86% |
| Highmark BCBS of PA | Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage | $89.48 | ↓ -85% |
| UPMC Work Partners | Workers Comp | $177.50 | ↓ -71% |
| Cigna | Commercial | $511.50 | ↓ -17% |
| Preferred Healthcare System | PPO | $511.50 | ↓ -17% |
| United Healthcare | Commercial | $524.39 | ↓ -15% |
| Aetna | Commercial | $542.19 | ↓ -12% |
| Geisinger | Commercial | $562.65 | ↓ -8% |
| UPMC Health Plan | Managed Medicare | $595.15 | ↓ -3% |
| UPMC Health Plan | Partners/Select | $604.95 | ↓ -1% |
| United Healthcare | Medicare | $624.44 | ↑ +2% |
| AmeriHealth Caritas | Medicare | $630.28 | ↑ +3% |
| Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) | Medicare | $630.28 | ↑ +3% |
| PA Health & Wellness | Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) | $630.28 | ↑ +3% |
| Cigna | Medicare | $630.28 | ↑ +3% |
| Private Health Care Systems | PPO | $818.40 | ↑ +33% |
| UPMC Health Plan | CHIP | $852.66 | ↑ +39% |
| UPMC Health Plan | Commercial | $929.06 | ↑ +51% |
| Tricare | East Region | not published by hospital | — |
| US Family Health Plan | Tricare Prime | not published by hospital | — |
Visitor-reported prices
Comments
Biopsy skin incisional single lesion at other Pennsylvania hospitals
| Hospital | City | Cash price | Negotiated range |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPMC Bedford | Everett | $588.60 | $51.67 – $882.90 |
| UPMC Carlisle | Carlisle | $1,227.00 | $62.50 – $1,738.25 |
| UPMC Cole | Coudersport | $87.60 | $40.47 – $2,325.85 |
| UPMC East | Monroeville | $823.80 | $54.13 – $1,098.40 |
| UPMC Hamot | Erie | $857.40 | $54.13 – $848.80 |
| UPMC Hanover | Hanover | $1,227.00 | $62.50 – $1,016.56 |
| UPMC Jameson | New Castle | $394.80 | $54.13 – $892.40 |
| UPMC Lititz | Lititz | $1,227.00 | $62.50 – $1,016.56 |