Incision & drainage hematoma/seroma/fluid collection at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$1,198.80

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.

$1,998.00

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.

$23.50 with Aetna vs $1,668.28 with Cigna — 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 $23.50 ↓ -98%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $24.68 ↓ -98%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $25.85 ↓ -98%
Geisinger Medicaid $32.66 ↓ -97%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $34.85 ↓ -97%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $35.44 ↓ -97%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $36.69 ↓ -97%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $40.05 ↓ -97%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $153.74 ↓ -87%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $204.47 ↓ -83%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $637.28 ↓ -47%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $694.38 ↓ -42%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $999.00 ↓ -17%
Cigna Commercial $999.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $1,024.17 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $1,058.94 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $1,098.90 ↓ -8%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $1,575.29 ↑ +31%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,598.40 ↑ +33%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $1,601.24 ↑ +34%
United Healthcare Medicare $1,652.83 ↑ +38%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $1,668.28 ↑ +39%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,668.28 ↑ +39%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $1,668.28 ↑ +39%
Cigna Medicare $1,668.28 ↑ +39%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
Tricare East Region not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Incision & drainage hematoma/seroma/fluid collection at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $1,371.00 $24.68 – $2,056.50
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $2,080.80 $29.84 – $2,947.80
UPMC Cole Coudersport $514.20 $24.68 – $2,094.25
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $2,080.80 $29.84 – $2,947.80
UPMC East Monroeville $856.80 $25.85 – $1,621.93
UPMC Hamot Erie $1,216.80 $25.85 – $2,246.66
UPMC Northwest Seneca $1,223.40 $25.85 – $1,621.93
UPMC Hanover Hanover $2,080.80 $29.84 – $2,476.51

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →