Infectious agent nucleic acid amplified probe methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$453.60

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.

$756.00

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.

$34.68 with UPMC Work Partners vs $604.80 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
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $34.68 ↓ -92%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $35.78 ↓ -92%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $36.37 ↓ -92%
United Healthcare Medicare $37.55 ↓ -92%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $37.90 ↓ -92%
Cigna Medicare $37.90 ↓ -92%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $37.90 ↓ -92%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $37.90 ↓ -92%
Aetna Medicaid $39.23 ↓ -91%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $39.23 ↓ -91%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $41.19 ↓ -91%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $43.15 ↓ -90%
Geisinger Medicaid $54.53 ↓ -88%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $58.18 ↓ -87%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $61.24 ↓ -86%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $66.86 ↓ -85%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $91.16 ↓ -80%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $209.50 ↓ -54%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $228.27 ↓ -50%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $378.00 ↓ -17%
Cigna Commercial $378.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $387.53 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $400.68 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $415.80 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $604.80 ↑ +33%

Visitor-reported prices

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Infectious agent nucleic acid amplified probe methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $592.20 $12.66 – $888.30
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $195.60 $34.74 – $277.10
UPMC Cole Coudersport $131.40 $22.81 – $175.20
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $195.60 $34.74 – $277.10
UPMC East Monroeville $406.20 $34.68 – $541.60
UPMC Hamot Erie $575.40 $34.68 – $91.16
UPMC Northwest Seneca $576.00 $31.82 – $45.11
UPMC Hanover Hanover $195.60 $34.74 – $56.14

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →