Graft impl ult thck 6x12cm -cost per sq cm at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$26,740.20

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$44,567.00

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.

$60.21 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $35,653.60 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
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $60.21 ↓ -100%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $71.51 ↓ -100%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $77.92 ↓ -100%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $8,467.73 ↓ -68%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $14,707.11 ↓ -45%
Geisinger Medicaid $14,707.11 ↓ -45%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $15,077.02 ↓ -44%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $17,381.13 ↓ -35%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $22,283.50 ↓ -17%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $22,283.50 ↓ -17%
Cigna Commercial $22,283.50 ↓ -17%
Aetna Commercial $23,620.51 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $24,511.85 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $35,653.60 ↑ +33%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Graft impl ult thck 6x12cm -cost per sq cm at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Hamot Erie $33,418.20 $60.21 – $74.42
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $47,946.60 $29.08 – $71.51
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $27,538.20 $56.47 – $60.21
UPMC Muncy Muncy $13,093.20 $1,689.60 – $10,137.60
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $28,358.40 $60.78 – $103.77
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $37,447.20 $60.78 – $115.62
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $15,834.40 $1,839.06 – $9,195.30
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $28,077.00 $2,995.60 – $13,480.20

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →