Ghs gastric intub aspiration lavage at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$172.80

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.

$288.00

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.

$16.51 with Aetna vs $809.53 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
Aetna Medicaid $16.51 ↓ -90%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $17.34 ↓ -90%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $18.16 ↓ -89%
Geisinger Medicaid $22.95 ↓ -87%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $24.48 ↓ -86%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $24.90 ↓ -86%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $25.77 ↓ -85%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $28.14 ↓ -84%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $31.50 ↓ -82%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $38.37 ↓ -78%
Cigna Commercial $144.00 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $144.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $147.63 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $152.64 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $158.40 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $230.40 ↑ +33%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $302.76 ↑ +75%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $307.75 ↑ +78%
United Healthcare Medicare $317.66 ↑ +84%
Cigna Medicare $320.63 ↑ +86%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $320.63 ↑ +86%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $320.63 ↑ +86%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $320.63 ↑ +86%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $742.95 ↑ +330%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $809.53 ↑ +368%
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 gastric intub aspiration lavage at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $403.20 $20.97 – $1,016.56
UPMC Cole Coudersport $190.20 $16.08 – $98.03
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $403.20 $20.97 – $1,016.56
UPMC East Monroeville $229.20 $18.16 – $311.72
UPMC Hamot Erie $213.60 $18.16 – $431.79
UPMC Northwest Seneca $252.00 $18.16 – $311.72
UPMC Hanover Hanover $403.20 $20.97 – $1,016.56
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $463.20 $18.16 – $320.63

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →