Chemo adm cns w/lmbr punct at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$893.40

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.

$1,489.00

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.

$76.66 with Aetna vs $1,191.20 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 $76.66 ↓ -91%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $80.49 ↓ -91%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $84.33 ↓ -91%
Geisinger Medicaid $106.55 ↓ -88%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $113.69 ↓ -87%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $115.60 ↓ -87%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $119.67 ↓ -87%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $130.64 ↓ -85%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $162.34 ↓ -82%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $170.10 ↓ -81%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $322.49 ↓ -64%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $327.80 ↓ -63%
United Healthcare Medicare $338.37 ↓ -62%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $341.53 ↓ -62%
Cigna Medicare $341.53 ↓ -62%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $341.53 ↓ -62%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $341.53 ↓ -62%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $518.73 ↓ -42%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $565.21 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $744.50 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $744.50 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $763.26 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $789.17 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $818.95 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,191.20 ↑ +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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Chemo adm cns w/lmbr punct at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $2,903.40 $97.36 – $4,113.15
UPMC Cole Coudersport $742.20 $56.83 – $346.36
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $2,903.40 $97.36 – $4,113.15
UPMC East Monroeville $1,135.80 $84.33 – $1,514.40
UPMC Northwest Seneca $1,119.00 $84.33 – $332.04
UPMC Hanover Hanover $2,903.40 $97.36 – $506.98
UPMC Lititz Lititz $2,903.40 $97.36 – $509.71
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $762.60 $84.33 – $341.53

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →