Ins pq tunnld ip cath w/img at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$7,305.00

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.

$12,175.00

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.

$2,234.51 with UPMC Work Partners vs $9,740.00 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 $2,234.51 ↓ -69%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $2,721.93 ↓ -63%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $3,431.16 ↓ -53%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $3,487.68 ↓ -52%
United Healthcare Medicare $3,600.06 ↓ -51%
Cigna Medicare $3,633.70 ↓ -50%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $3,633.70 ↓ -50%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $3,633.70 ↓ -50%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $3,633.70 ↓ -50%
Cigna Commercial $6,087.50 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $6,087.50 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $6,240.90 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $6,452.75 ↓ -12%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $6,696.25 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Commercial $6,696.25 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Medicaid $6,696.25 ↓ -8%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $8,812.16 ↑ +21%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $9,601.79 ↑ +31%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $9,740.00 ↑ +33%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
Tricare East Region not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Ins pq tunnld ip cath w/img at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $11,758.20 $1,016.56 – $16,657.45
UPMC Cole Coudersport $358.80 $165.77 – $2,234.51
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $11,758.20 $1,016.56 – $16,657.45
UPMC East Monroeville $11,393.40 $2,234.51 – $15,191.20
UPMC Hamot Erie $5,742.00 $2,234.51 – $4,893.48
UPMC Northwest Seneca $8,416.80 $2,234.51 – $3,633.70
UPMC Hanover Hanover $11,758.20 $1,016.56 – $8,812.16
UPMC Jameson New Castle $4,069.20 $892.40 – $4,542.13

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →