M/phmtrc alys ishquant/semiq at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$463.20

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.

$772.00

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.

$93.18 with Highmark BCBS of PA vs $715.31 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
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $93.18 ↓ -80%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $110.29 ↓ -76%
Aetna Medicaid $110.29 ↓ -76%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $115.80 ↓ -75%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $121.32 ↓ -74%
Geisinger Medicaid $153.29 ↓ -67%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $163.56 ↓ -65%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $172.17 ↓ -63%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $187.96 ↓ -59%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $190.58 ↓ -59%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $386.00 ↓ -17%
Cigna Commercial $386.00 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $386.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $395.73 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $409.16 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $424.60 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $617.60 ↑ +33%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $656.49 ↑ +42%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $715.31 ↑ +54%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
Tricare East Region not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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M/phmtrc alys ishquant/semiq at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $337.20 $76.99 – $477.70
UPMC Cole Coudersport $1,052.40 $53.00 – $1,403.20
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $337.20 $112.40 – $656.49
UPMC East Monroeville $370.20 $94.07 – $493.60
UPMC Hamot Erie $426.00 $93.18 – $279.34
UPMC Northwest Seneca $646.80 $148.16 – $279.34
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $400.20 $146.27 – $279.34
UPMC Jameson New Castle $528.00 $94.83 – $279.34

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →