CT upper extremity without contrast (both sides) at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$2,021.40

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.

$3,369.00

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.

$240.00 with UPMC Work Partners vs $2,695.20 with Private Health Care Systems — 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
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $240.00 ↓ -88%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $278.21 ↓ -86%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $886.93 ↓ -56%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $966.40 ↓ -52%
Cigna Commercial $1,684.50 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $1,684.50 ↓ -17%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,684.50 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $1,726.95 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $1,785.57 ↓ -12%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $1,852.95 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Commercial $1,852.95 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Medicaid $1,852.95 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $2,695.20 ↑ +33%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
Tricare East Region 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

CT upper extremity without contrast (both sides) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $741.00 $36.58 – $1,111.50
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $876.00 $103.54 – $1,241.00
UPMC Cole Coudersport $792.60 $161.37 – $1,056.80
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $876.00 $103.54 – $1,241.00
UPMC East Monroeville $1,863.00 $101.65 – $2,484.00
UPMC Hamot Erie $1,906.80 $115.76 – $604.00
UPMC Northwest Seneca $1,068.00 $91.94 – $568.09
UPMC Hanover Hanover $876.00 $103.54 – $1,833.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →