#cf-97variants at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$3,325.80

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.

$5,543.00

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.

$445.28 with Aetna vs $1,011.68 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 $445.28 ↓ -87%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $445.28 ↓ -87%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $467.54 ↓ -86%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $489.81 ↓ -85%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $550.10 ↓ -83%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $567.62 ↓ -83%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $576.97 ↓ -83%
United Healthcare Medicare $595.56 ↓ -82%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $601.13 ↓ -82%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $601.13 ↓ -82%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $601.13 ↓ -82%
Cigna Medicare $601.13 ↓ -82%
Cigna Commercial $602.50 ↓ -82%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $602.50 ↓ -82%
United Healthcare Commercial $617.68 ↓ -81%
Geisinger Medicaid $618.89 ↓ -81%
Aetna Commercial $638.65 ↓ -81%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $660.35 ↓ -80%
Geisinger Commercial $662.75 ↓ -80%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $695.13 ↓ -79%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $758.85 ↓ -77%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $767.09 ↓ -77%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $928.48 ↓ -72%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $964.00 ↓ -71%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $1,011.68 ↓ -70%

Visitor-reported prices

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#cf-97variants at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $3,357.60 $200.82 – $1,095.30
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $3,216.00 $445.28 – $4,556.00
UPMC Cole Coudersport $1,763.40 $53.00 – $2,351.20
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $3,216.00 $445.28 – $4,556.00
UPMC East Monroeville $3,357.60 $255.41 – $973.60
UPMC Hamot Erie $3,409.20 $445.28 – $767.09
UPMC Northwest Seneca $3,357.60 $257.79 – $601.13
UPMC Hanover Hanover $3,216.00 $445.28 – $890.56

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →