Compatibility test each unit immediate spin technique at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$136.80

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.

$228.00

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.

$21.00 with Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) vs $182.40 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
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $21.00 ↓ -85%
Aetna Medicaid $21.00 ↓ -85%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $22.05 ↓ -84%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $23.10 ↓ -83%
Geisinger Medicaid $29.19 ↓ -79%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $31.14 ↓ -77%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $32.78 ↓ -76%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $34.69 ↓ -75%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $35.79 ↓ -74%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $91.62 ↓ -33%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $95.54 ↓ -30%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $99.83 ↓ -27%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $114.00 ↓ -17%
Cigna Commercial $114.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $116.87 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $120.84 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $125.40 ↓ -8%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $166.60 ↑ +22%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $169.35 ↑ +24%
United Healthcare Medicare $174.81 ↑ +28%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $176.44 ↑ +29%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $176.44 ↑ +29%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $176.44 ↑ +29%
Cigna Medicare $176.44 ↑ +29%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $182.40 ↑ +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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Compatibility test each unit immediate spin technique at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $125.40 $21.00 – $188.10
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $203.40 $21.00 – $288.15
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $203.40 $21.00 – $288.15
UPMC East Monroeville $268.20 $21.00 – $357.60
UPMC Hamot Erie $192.00 $17.96 – $213.04
UPMC Northwest Seneca $89.40 $23.10 – $171.54
UPMC Hanover Hanover $203.40 $21.00 – $261.92
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $109.20 $21.00 – $176.44

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →