Insert drug delivery implant at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$253.20

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.

$422.00

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.

$75.73 with Aetna vs $3,059.02 with UPMC Health Plan — 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 $75.73 ↓ -70%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $79.52 ↓ -69%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $83.30 ↓ -67%
Geisinger Medicaid $105.26 ↓ -58%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $112.31 ↓ -56%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $114.20 ↓ -55%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $118.22 ↓ -53%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $125.32 ↓ -51%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $127.39 ↓ -50%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $129.06 ↓ -49%
United Healthcare Medicare $131.49 ↓ -48%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $132.72 ↓ -48%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $132.72 ↓ -48%
Cigna Medicare $132.72 ↓ -48%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $132.72 ↓ -48%
Cigna Commercial $211.00 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $211.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $216.32 ↓ -15%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $217.81 ↓ -14%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $220.77 ↓ -13%
Aetna Commercial $223.66 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $232.10 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $337.60 ↑ +33%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $2,807.45 ↑ +1009%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $3,059.02 ↑ +1108%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
Tricare East Region not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Insert drug delivery implant at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $254.40 $58.09 – $1,016.56
UPMC Cole Coudersport $142.80 $65.97 – $217.81
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $254.40 $84.80 – $2,807.45
UPMC Northwest Seneca $1,447.80 $83.30 – $217.81
UPMC Hanover Hanover $254.40 $96.18 – $1,016.56
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $1,096.20 $83.30 – $230.60
UPMC Kane Kane $206.40 $83.30 – $421.11
UPMC Lititz Lititz $254.40 $96.18 – $1,016.56

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →