Ghs abscess postoperative iandd complex at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$3,794.40

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.

$6,324.00

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.

$154.29 with Aetna vs $5,059.20 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 $154.29 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $162.00 ↓ -96%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $169.72 ↓ -96%
Geisinger Medicaid $214.45 ↓ -94%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $228.81 ↓ -94%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $232.67 ↓ -94%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $240.86 ↓ -94%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $262.94 ↓ -93%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $392.76 ↓ -90%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $729.80 ↓ -81%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $2,298.97 ↓ -39%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $2,504.97 ↓ -34%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $2,782.65 ↓ -27%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $2,828.49 ↓ -25%
United Healthcare Medicare $2,919.62 ↓ -23%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $2,946.91 ↓ -22%
Cigna Medicare $2,946.91 ↓ -22%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $2,946.91 ↓ -22%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $2,946.91 ↓ -22%
Cigna Commercial $3,162.00 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $3,162.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $3,241.68 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $3,351.72 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $3,478.20 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $5,059.20 ↑ +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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Ghs abscess postoperative iandd complex at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $3,515.40 $195.95 – $4,980.15
UPMC Cole Coudersport $330.00 $152.46 – $1,041.88
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $3,515.40 $195.95 – $4,980.15
UPMC Hamot Erie $3,099.00 $169.72 – $3,968.58
UPMC Northwest Seneca $4,281.00 $169.72 – $2,865.05
UPMC Hanover Hanover $3,515.40 $195.95 – $4,374.59
UPMC Jameson New Castle $2,899.80 $169.72 – $3,683.64
UPMC Lititz Lititz $3,515.40 $195.95 – $4,398.21

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →