Ghs layer closure 7.6 - 12.5 cm - 12044 at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$1,287.00

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.

$2,145.00

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.

$48.50 with Aetna vs $2,523.16 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 $48.50 ↓ -96%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $50.92 ↓ -96%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $53.35 ↓ -96%
Geisinger Medicaid $67.41 ↓ -95%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $71.93 ↓ -94%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $73.14 ↓ -94%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $75.71 ↓ -94%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $82.65 ↓ -94%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $413.28 ↓ -68%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $595.15 ↓ -54%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $604.95 ↓ -53%
United Healthcare Medicare $624.44 ↓ -51%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $630.28 ↓ -51%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $630.28 ↓ -51%
Cigna Medicare $630.28 ↓ -51%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $630.28 ↓ -51%
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 ↓ -43%
Cigna Commercial $1,072.50 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $1,072.50 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $1,099.53 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $1,136.85 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $1,179.75 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,716.00 ↑ +33%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $2,315.66 ↑ +80%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $2,523.16 ↑ +96%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
Tricare East Region not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Ghs layer closure 7.6 - 12.5 cm - 12044 at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $1,626.60 $50.92 – $2,439.90
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $1,212.00 $61.59 – $1,717.00
UPMC Cole Coudersport $1,693.20 $50.92 – $1,041.88
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $1,212.00 $61.59 – $2,315.66
UPMC East Monroeville $3,771.60 $53.35 – $5,028.80
UPMC Hamot Erie $3,124.20 $53.35 – $848.80
UPMC Northwest Seneca $4,779.60 $53.35 – $612.77
UPMC Hanover Hanover $1,212.00 $61.59 – $966.78

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →