Kidney img w/bldflw sgl without rx at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$899.40

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.

$1,499.00

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.

$69.00 with Aetna vs $1,199.20 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
Aetna Medicaid $69.00 ↓ -92%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $72.45 ↓ -92%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $75.90 ↓ -92%
Geisinger Medicaid $95.90 ↓ -89%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $102.33 ↓ -89%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $104.05 ↓ -88%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $107.72 ↓ -88%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $117.59 ↓ -87%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $240.03 ↓ -73%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $354.54 ↓ -61%
Cigna Commercial $749.50 ↓ -17%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $749.50 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $749.50 ↓ -17%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $750.01 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $768.39 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $794.47 ↓ -12%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $817.21 ↓ -9%
Geisinger Commercial $824.45 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,199.20 ↑ +33%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Kidney img w/bldflw sgl without rx at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $1,695.60 $119.08 – $2,543.40
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $1,574.40 $90.39 – $2,230.40
UPMC Cole Coudersport $739.20 $119.08 – $985.60
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $1,574.40 $59.20 – $750.01
UPMC East Monroeville $2,206.80 $124.75 – $2,942.40
UPMC Hamot Erie $1,055.40 $124.75 – $700.71
UPMC Northwest Seneca $797.40 $124.75 – $538.84
UPMC Hanover Hanover $1,574.40 $90.39 – $822.74

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →