Ins pm gen exist dual lead at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$3,124.80

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.

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

$5,208.00

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.

$484.74 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $23,111.73 with PA Health & Wellness — 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 $484.74 ↓ -84%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $561.11 ↓ -82%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,822.80 ↓ -42%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $2,604.00 ↓ -17%
Cigna Commercial $2,604.00 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $2,604.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $2,669.62 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $2,760.24 ↓ -12%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $2,864.40 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Commercial $2,864.40 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Medicaid $2,864.40 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $4,166.40 ↑ +33%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $21,823.47 ↑ +598%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $22,182.98 ↑ +610%
United Healthcare Medicare $22,897.73 ↑ +633%
Cigna Medicare $23,111.73 ↑ +640%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $23,111.73 ↑ +640%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $23,111.73 ↑ +640%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $23,111.73 ↑ +640%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Ins pm gen exist dual lead at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Hamot Erie $36,471.60 $484.74 – $31,124.41
Uniontown Hospital Uniontown $7,666.00 $205.80 – $44,779.58
UPMC East Monroeville not published $489.35 – $23,539.72
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh not published $489.35 – $23,539.72

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →