Chest apical lordotic proj at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$171.00

Cash price

?

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.

$285.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$14.98 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $248.04 with UPMC Health Plan — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $14.98 ↓ -91%
Aetna Medicaid $18.90 ↓ -89%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $19.84 ↓ -88%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $20.79 ↓ -88%
Geisinger Medicaid $26.27 ↓ -85%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $28.03 ↓ -84%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $28.50 ↓ -83%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $29.50 ↓ -83%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $30.18 ↓ -82%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $32.21 ↓ -81%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $142.50 ↓ -17%
Cigna Commercial $142.50 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $142.50 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $146.09 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $151.05 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $156.75 ↓ -8%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $227.64 ↑ +33%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $228.00 ↑ +33%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $248.04 ↑ +45%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Chest apical lordotic proj at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $125.40 $30.29 – $188.10
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $188.40 $24.76 – $266.90
UPMC Cole Coudersport $154.20 $31.72 – $205.60
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $188.40 $24.76 – $266.90
UPMC East Monroeville $436.20 $15.12 – $581.60
UPMC Hamot Erie $621.60 $14.98 – $118.50
UPMC Northwest Seneca $218.40 $33.23 – $88.15
UPMC Hanover Hanover $188.40 $24.76 – $134.58

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →