Cauterization chemical granulation tissue at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$235.20

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.

Full explanation →

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

$392.00

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.

$25.82 with Aetna vs $327.18 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
Aetna Medicaid $25.82 ↓ -89%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $27.11 ↓ -88%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $28.40 ↓ -88%
Geisinger Medicaid $35.89 ↓ -85%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $38.29 ↓ -84%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $38.94 ↓ -83%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $40.31 ↓ -83%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $44.00 ↓ -81%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $79.52 ↓ -66%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $92.94 ↓ -60%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $193.19 ↓ -18%
Cigna Commercial $196.00 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $196.00 ↓ -17%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $196.37 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $200.94 ↓ -15%
United Healthcare Medicare $202.70 ↓ -14%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $204.60 ↓ -13%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $204.60 ↓ -13%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $204.60 ↓ -13%
Cigna Medicare $204.60 ↓ -13%
Aetna Commercial $207.76 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $215.60 ↓ -8%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $300.27 ↑ +28%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $313.60 ↑ +33%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $327.18 ↑ +39%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Cauterization chemical granulation tissue at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $640.80 $27.11 – $961.20
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $354.00 $32.79 – $501.50
UPMC Cole Coudersport $248.40 $20.51 – $2,094.25
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $354.00 $32.79 – $501.50
UPMC East Monroeville $412.20 $28.40 – $549.60
UPMC Hamot Erie $405.00 $28.40 – $275.52
UPMC Northwest Seneca $299.40 $28.40 – $198.91
UPMC Hanover Hanover $354.00 $32.79 – $303.71

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →