Blood gases o2 saturation direct measurement at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$251.40

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.

Full explanation →

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

$419.00

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.

$38.86 with Aetna vs $335.20 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
Aetna Medicaid $38.86 ↓ -85%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $38.86 ↓ -85%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $40.80 ↓ -84%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $42.75 ↓ -83%
Geisinger Medicaid $54.01 ↓ -79%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $57.63 ↓ -77%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $60.66 ↓ -76%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $66.23 ↓ -74%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $76.43 ↓ -70%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $77.85 ↓ -69%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $80.33 ↓ -68%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $81.65 ↓ -68%
United Healthcare Medicare $84.28 ↓ -66%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $85.07 ↓ -66%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $85.07 ↓ -66%
Cigna Medicare $85.07 ↓ -66%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $85.07 ↓ -66%
Cigna Commercial $209.50 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $209.50 ↓ -17%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $213.92 ↓ -15%
United Healthcare Commercial $214.78 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $222.07 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $230.45 ↓ -8%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $233.09 ↓ -7%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $335.20 ↑ +33%

Visitor-reported prices

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Blood gases o2 saturation direct measurement at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $299.40 $28.42 – $449.10
UPMC Cole Coudersport $130.20 $40.80 – $173.60
UPMC East Monroeville $591.00 $38.86 – $788.00
UPMC Hamot Erie $538.80 $38.86 – $85.07
UPMC Northwest Seneca $436.20 $42.75 – $82.71
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $469.80 $38.86 – $123.59
UPMC Jameson New Castle $308.40 $39.65 – $85.07
UPMC Kane Kane $195.00 $39.01 – $339.97

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →