Cable cath 22-pin diag at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$3,072.00

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.

$5,120.00

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.

$73.50 with Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) vs $2,359.26 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
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $73.50 ↓ -98%
Cigna Commercial $73.50 ↓ -98%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $73.50 ↓ -98%
Aetna Commercial $77.91 ↓ -97%
Geisinger Commercial $80.85 ↓ -97%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $80.85 ↓ -97%
Geisinger Medicaid $80.85 ↓ -97%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $117.60 ↓ -96%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $299.12 ↓ -90%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $2,165.24 ↓ -30%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $2,359.26 ↓ -23%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Cable cath 22-pin diag at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Cole Coudersport $570.60 $180.69 – $760.80
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $2,526.60 $51.80 – $2,165.24
UPMC East Monroeville $2,461.80 $301.97 – $3,282.40
UPMC Hamot Erie $3,711.00 $299.12 – $299.12
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $358.80 $301.97 – $2,165.24
UPMC Memorial York $2,526.60 $243.79 – $2,165.24
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $1,274.40 $299.12 – $1,709.77
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $4,353.60 $301.97 – $3,142.03

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →