Pamidronate 30 mg/10 ml (3 mg/ml) intravenous solution at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$721.60

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.

$902.00

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.

$6.09 with UPMC Health Plan vs $721.60 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 Health Plan Managed Medicaid $6.09 ↓ -99%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $9.64 ↓ -99%
Geisinger Medicaid $9.64 ↓ -99%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $9.64 ↓ -99%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $9.64 ↓ -99%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $10.30 ↓ -99%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $11.86 ↓ -98%
United Healthcare Commercial $37.74 ↓ -95%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $335.36 ↓ -54%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $396.39 ↓ -45%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $451.00 ↓ -38%
Cigna Commercial $451.00 ↓ -38%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $451.00 ↓ -38%
Aetna Commercial $478.06 ↓ -34%
Geisinger Commercial $496.10 ↓ -31%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $721.60 ↑ +0%

Visitor-reported prices

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Pamidronate 30 mg/10 ml (3 mg/ml) intravenous solution at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Cole Coudersport $40.20 $9.64 – $53.60
UPMC Northwest Seneca $1,189.20 $6.09 – $542.20
UPMC Muncy Muncy $200.00 $9.64 – $10.61
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $200.00 $9.64 – $10.61
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $450.00 $9.64 – $10.61
WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital Chambersburg $47.60 $10.46 – $48.58
WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital Ephrata $118.60 $9.64 – $48.58
WellSpan Surgery & Rehabilitation Hospital York PA 17403 $106.60 $9.64 – $48.58

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →