Echograp trans r pros study at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$463.80

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.

$773.00

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.

$86.56 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $1,647.49 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 $86.56 ↓ -81%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $160.58 ↓ -65%
Cigna Commercial $386.50 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $386.50 ↓ -17%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $386.50 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $396.24 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $409.69 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Medicaid $425.15 ↓ -8%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $425.15 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Commercial $425.15 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $618.40 ↑ +33%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,512.00 ↑ +226%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $1,647.49 ↑ +255%
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

Echograp trans r pros study at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $547.20 $36.58 – $820.80
UPMC Hamot Erie $507.60 $86.56 – $302.57
UPMC Northwest Seneca $576.60 $91.94 – $302.57
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $706.80 $90.77 – $302.57
UPMC Jameson New Castle $385.20 $74.98 – $302.57
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $769.20 $87.39 – $302.57
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $1,909.20 $84.51 – $346.75
UPMC Muncy Muncy $392.40 $83.46 – $323.67

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →