Pr biopsy skin punch single lesion at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$613.80

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.

$1,023.00

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.

$40.43 with Aetna vs $818.40 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 $40.43 ↓ -93%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $42.45 ↓ -93%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $44.47 ↓ -93%
Geisinger Medicaid $56.19 ↓ -91%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $59.96 ↓ -90%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $60.97 ↓ -90%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $63.12 ↓ -90%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $68.90 ↓ -89%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $73.92 ↓ -88%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $146.63 ↓ -76%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $388.44 ↓ -37%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $394.84 ↓ -36%
United Healthcare Medicare $407.56 ↓ -34%
Cigna Medicare $411.37 ↓ -33%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $411.37 ↓ -33%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $411.37 ↓ -33%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $411.37 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $511.50 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $511.50 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $524.39 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $542.19 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $562.65 ↓ -8%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $661.75 ↑ +8%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $721.05 ↑ +17%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $818.40 ↑ +33%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
Tricare East Region not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Pr biopsy skin punch single lesion at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $1,385.40 $42.45 – $2,078.10
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $690.60 $51.35 – $1,016.56
UPMC Cole Coudersport $478.20 $36.59 – $2,094.25
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $690.60 $51.35 – $1,016.56
UPMC East Monroeville $823.80 $44.47 – $1,098.40
UPMC Hamot Erie $857.40 $44.47 – $554.00
UPMC Northwest Seneca $658.20 $44.47 – $399.94
UPMC Hanover Hanover $690.60 $51.35 – $1,016.56

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →