Bx breast 1st lesion mr imag at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$2,606.40

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.

$4,344.00

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.

$162.10 with Aetna vs $3,475.20 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 $162.10 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $170.21 ↓ -93%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $178.31 ↓ -93%
Geisinger Medicaid $225.30 ↓ -91%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $240.39 ↓ -91%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $244.45 ↓ -91%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $253.05 ↓ -90%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $276.25 ↓ -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 $706.75 ↓ -73%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $1,345.99 ↓ -48%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $1,575.29 ↓ -40%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $1,601.24 ↓ -39%
United Healthcare Medicare $1,652.83 ↓ -37%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,668.28 ↓ -36%
Cigna Medicare $1,668.28 ↓ -36%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $1,668.28 ↓ -36%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $1,668.28 ↓ -36%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,979.77 ↓ -24%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $2,157.17 ↓ -17%
Cigna Commercial $2,172.00 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $2,172.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $2,226.73 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $2,302.32 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $2,389.20 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $3,475.20 ↑ +33%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Bx breast 1st lesion mr imag at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $2,087.40 $205.87 – $6,413.00
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $2,087.40 $218.84 – $2,957.15
UPMC Hamot Erie $6,429.60 $178.31 – $1,345.99
UPMC Hanover Hanover $2,087.40 $205.87 – $1,408.59
UPMC Kane Kane $1,858.80 $178.31 – $3,215.29
UPMC Lititz Lititz $2,087.40 $156.69 – $1,408.59
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $5,692.20 $178.31 – $1,668.28
UPMC Memorial York $2,087.40 $156.69 – $1,408.59

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →