Ghs change cysto/gastrost at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$2,275.20

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.

$3,792.00

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.

$31.10 with Aetna vs $3,033.60 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 $31.10 ↓ -99%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $32.66 ↓ -99%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $34.21 ↓ -98%
Geisinger Medicaid $43.23 ↓ -98%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $46.12 ↓ -98%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $46.90 ↓ -98%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $48.55 ↓ -98%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $53.00 ↓ -98%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $131.29 ↓ -94%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $236.46 ↓ -90%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $240.36 ↓ -89%
United Healthcare Medicare $248.10 ↓ -89%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $250.42 ↓ -89%
Cigna Medicare $250.42 ↓ -89%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $250.42 ↓ -89%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $250.42 ↓ -89%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $260.42 ↓ -89%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $642.04 ↓ -72%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $699.57 ↓ -69%
Cigna Commercial $1,896.00 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $1,896.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $1,943.78 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $2,009.76 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $2,085.60 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $3,033.60 ↑ +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 change cysto/gastrost at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $1,214.40 $32.66 – $1,821.60
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $824.40 $39.50 – $1,167.90
UPMC Cole Coudersport $769.80 $27.17 – $771.51
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $824.40 $39.50 – $1,167.90
UPMC East Monroeville $2,281.20 $34.21 – $3,041.60
UPMC Hamot Erie $2,313.60 $34.21 – $337.24
UPMC Northwest Seneca $1,156.80 $34.21 – $260.42
UPMC Hanover Hanover $824.40 $39.50 – $371.74

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →