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CT Scan of Abdomen and Pelvis (without contrast) at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$2,368.80

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.

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

$3,948.00

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.

$101.07 with Aetna vs $3,158.40 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
Aetna Medicaid $101.07 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $106.12 ↓ -96%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $111.18 ↓ -95%
Geisinger Medicaid $140.48 ↓ -94%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $149.89 ↓ -94%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $152.41 ↓ -94%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $157.78 ↓ -93%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $172.24 ↓ -93%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $192.80 ↓ -92%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $474.48 ↓ -80%
Cigna Commercial $1,974.00 ↓ -17%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,974.00 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $1,974.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $2,023.74 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $2,092.44 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $2,171.40 ↓ -8%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $2,682.79 ↑ +13%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $2,923.19 ↑ +23%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $3,158.40 ↑ +33%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
Tricare East Region not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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CT Scan of Abdomen and Pelvis (without contrast) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC East Monroeville $3,930.60 $185.12 – $5,240.80
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $3,795.60 $185.12 – $5,377.10
UPMC Hamot Erie $6,945.60 $185.12 – $8,103.20
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $1,821.60 $73.71 – $457.30
UPMC Bedford Everett $1,700.40 $83.15 – $2,550.60
UPMC Cole Coudersport $1,185.60 $176.70 – $1,580.80
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $2,213.40 $107.60 – $2,682.79
UPMC Hanover Hanover $1,821.60 $102.22 – $468.06

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →