Pq thr inj ext pse at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$754.80

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.

$1,258.00

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.

$103.33 with Aetna vs $1,134.75 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 $103.33 ↓ -86%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $108.50 ↓ -86%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $113.66 ↓ -85%
Geisinger Medicaid $143.62 ↓ -81%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $153.24 ↓ -80%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $155.82 ↓ -79%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $161.31 ↓ -79%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $176.09 ↓ -77%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $332.26 ↓ -56%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $339.67 ↓ -55%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $601.11 ↓ -20%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $611.01 ↓ -19%
Cigna Commercial $629.00 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $629.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Medicare $630.70 ↓ -16%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $636.60 ↓ -16%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $636.60 ↓ -16%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $636.60 ↓ -16%
Cigna Medicare $636.60 ↓ -16%
United Healthcare Commercial $644.85 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $666.74 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $691.90 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,006.40 ↑ +33%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,041.43 ↑ +38%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $1,134.75 ↑ +50%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
Tricare East Region not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Pq thr inj ext pse at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $1,125.60 $131.23 – $1,594.60
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $1,125.60 $135.36 – $1,594.60
UPMC East Monroeville $1,600.20 $113.66 – $2,133.60
UPMC Hamot Erie $870.00 $113.66 – $857.29
UPMC Hanover Hanover $1,125.60 $131.23 – $944.99
UPMC Lititz Lititz $1,125.60 $131.23 – $950.10
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $1,900.80 $113.66 – $636.60
UPMC Memorial York $1,125.60 $131.23 – $948.56

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →