Injection(s) anesthetic agent(s)/steroid lumb/s transforaminal epidural w/img single (both sides) at UPMC Altoona

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

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

not published by hospital

Cash price

?

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.

not published by hospital

Gross charge

?

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.

$95.04 with Aetna vs $916.68 with AmeriHealth Caritas — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $95.04 —
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $99.79 —
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $104.54 —
Geisinger Medicaid $132.10 —
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $140.94 —
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $143.32 —
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $148.37 —
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $161.97 —
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $413.89 —
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $586.19 —
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $636.50 —
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $693.53 —
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $865.59 —
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $879.85 —
United Healthcare Medicare $908.19 —
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $916.68 —
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $916.68 —
Cigna Medicare $916.68 —
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $916.68 —
Tricare East Region not published by hospital —
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Injection(s) anesthetic agent(s)/steroid lumb/s transforaminal epidural w/img single (both sides) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $2,647.20 $120.70 – $3,750.20
UPMC Cole Coudersport $280.20 $56.83 – $771.51
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $2,647.20 $128.30 – $3,750.20
UPMC East Monroeville $1,935.00 $104.54 – $2,580.00
UPMC Northwest Seneca $2,674.80 $104.54 – $891.22
UPMC Hanover Hanover $2,647.20 $120.70 – $1,360.78
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $2,674.80 $104.54 – $1,140.40
UPMC Jameson New Castle $2,674.80 $104.54 – $1,145.85

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →