Nm imaging bone/joint 3 phase study at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$1,362.60

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.

$2,271.00

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.

$119.00 with Aetna vs $1,816.80 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 $119.00 ↓ -91%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $124.95 ↓ -91%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $130.90 ↓ -90%
Geisinger Medicaid $165.40 ↓ -88%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $176.48 ↓ -87%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $179.45 ↓ -87%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $185.77 ↓ -86%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $202.80 ↓ -85%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $281.50 ↓ -79%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $398.13 ↓ -71%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $898.86 ↓ -34%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $979.40 ↓ -28%
Cigna Commercial $1,135.50 ↓ -17%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $1,135.50 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $1,135.50 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $1,164.11 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $1,203.63 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $1,249.05 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,816.80 ↑ +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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Nm imaging bone/joint 3 phase study at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $705.60 $138.22 – $1,058.40
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $1,228.80 $155.89 – $1,740.80
UPMC Cole Coudersport $1,171.20 $174.69 – $1,561.60
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $1,228.80 $155.89 – $1,740.80
UPMC East Monroeville $2,587.20 $183.01 – $3,449.60
UPMC Hamot Erie $1,297.80 $183.01 – $645.66
UPMC Northwest Seneca $663.60 $183.01 – $623.39
UPMC Hanover Hanover $1,228.80 $155.89 – $652.38

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →