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Interdiscal perq aspir dx at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$969.00

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.

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

$1,615.00

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.

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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$360.05 with UPMC Work Partners vs $1,292.00 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 $360.05 ↓ -63%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $427.39 ↓ -56%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $684.07 ↓ -29%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $695.34 ↓ -28%
United Healthcare Medicare $717.75 ↓ -26%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $724.45 ↓ -25%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $724.45 ↓ -25%
Cigna Medicare $724.45 ↓ -25%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $724.45 ↓ -25%
Cigna Commercial $807.50 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $807.50 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $827.85 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $855.95 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $888.25 ↓ -8%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $888.25 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Medicaid $888.25 ↓ -8%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,087.86 ↑ +12%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $1,185.34 ↑ +22%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,292.00 ↑ +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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Interdiscal perq aspir dx at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $1,930.20 $370.19 – $2,734.45
UPMC Northwest Seneca $2,792.40 $360.05 – $3,955.90
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $1,753.80 $402.55 – $2,630.70
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $1,783.80 $402.55 – $2,527.05
UPMC Somerset Somerset $1,930.20 $360.05 – $2,412.75

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →