Pr counseling smoke/tobacco intermediate greater 3 - 10 minutes at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$30.00

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.

$50.00

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.

$19.22 with UPMC Work Partners vs $40.21 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
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $19.22 ↓ -36%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $22.01 ↓ -27%
Cigna Commercial $25.00 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $25.00 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $25.63 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $26.50 ↓ -12%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $27.50 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Commercial $27.50 ↓ -8%
Geisinger Medicaid $27.50 ↓ -8%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $28.96 ↓ -3%
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $29.44 ↓ -2%
United Healthcare Medicare $30.39 ↑ +1%
Cigna Medicare $30.67 ↑ +2%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $30.67 ↑ +2%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $30.67 ↑ +2%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $30.67 ↑ +2%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $36.90 ↑ +23%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $40.00 ↑ +33%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $40.21 ↑ +34%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Pr counseling smoke/tobacco intermediate greater 3 - 10 minutes at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $30.00 $10.25 – $45.00
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $52.20 $11.92 – $73.95
UPMC Cole Coudersport $46.20 $16.14 – $61.60
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $52.20 $17.40 – $73.95
UPMC East Monroeville $30.00 $16.50 – $40.00
UPMC Hamot Erie $32.40 $18.43 – $40.57
UPMC Northwest Seneca $30.00 $19.22 – $30.67
UPMC Hanover Hanover $52.20 $20.11 – $45.54

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →