Nm imaging gastric emptying study at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$536.40

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.

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

$894.00

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.

$99.00 with Aetna vs $789.82 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 $99.00 ↓ -82%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $103.95 ↓ -81%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $108.90 ↓ -80%
Geisinger Medicaid $137.60 ↓ -74%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $146.82 ↓ -73%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $149.29 ↓ -72%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $154.55 ↓ -71%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $168.72 ↓ -69%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $232.18 ↓ -57%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $343.60 ↓ -36%
Cigna Commercial $447.00 ↓ -17%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $447.00 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $447.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $458.26 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $473.82 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $491.70 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $715.20 ↑ +33%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $724.86 ↑ +35%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $789.82 ↑ +47%
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 gastric emptying study at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $658.20 $138.22 – $987.30
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $1,228.80 $19.86 – $615.04
UPMC Cole Coudersport $1,176.60 $141.74 – $1,568.80
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $1,228.80 $29.00 – $724.86
UPMC East Monroeville $2,135.40 $148.49 – $2,847.20
UPMC Hamot Erie $700.20 $148.49 – $546.54
UPMC Northwest Seneca $896.40 $148.49 – $503.77
UPMC Hanover Hanover $1,228.80 $129.69 – $614.19

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →