Foam drg >16<=48 sq in w/bdr at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$10.20

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.

$17.00

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.

$8.50 with Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) vs $44.42 with UPMC Health Plan — 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
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $8.50 ↓ -17%
Cigna Commercial $8.50 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $8.50 ↓ -17%
Aetna Commercial $9.01 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $9.35 ↓ -8%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $9.35 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Medicaid $9.35 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $13.60 ↑ +33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $14.13 ↑ +39%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $40.77 ↑ +300%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $44.42 ↑ +335%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Foam drg >16<=48 sq in w/bdr at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC East Monroeville $19.80 $7.75 – $40.77
UPMC Hamot Erie $15.60 $14.13 – $14.13
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $13.80 $36.00 – $40.77
UPMC Jameson New Castle $12.00 $9.78 – $40.77
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $18.60 $10.76 – $40.77
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $25.20 $14.26 – $59.16
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $34.20 $13.92 – $65.91
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $19.80 $14.26 – $50.03

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →