Bra surgical elizabeth pink sm at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$172.20

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.

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

$287.00

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.

$47.12 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $229.60 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 $47.12 ↓ -73%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $54.53 ↓ -68%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $67.28 ↓ -61%
Geisinger Medicaid $94.71 ↓ -45%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $111.93 ↓ -35%
Cigna Commercial $143.50 ↓ -17%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $143.50 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $143.50 ↓ -17%
Aetna Commercial $152.11 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $157.85 ↓ -8%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $157.85 ↓ -8%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $175.45 ↑ +2%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $191.17 ↑ +11%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $229.60 ↑ +33%

Visitor-reported prices

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Bra surgical elizabeth pink sm at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC East Monroeville $74.40 $23.56 – $175.45
UPMC Hamot Erie $104.40 $47.12 – $67.28
UPMC Northwest Seneca $55.20 $67.28 – $212.31
UPMC Jameson New Castle $55.20 $21.49 – $175.45
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $96.00 $23.64 – $175.45
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $55.20 $47.12 – $138.54
UPMC Muncy Muncy $148.80 $35.84 – $71.97
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $55.20 $47.57 – $254.60

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →