Quant diff pulm perf and vent w/imaging at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$1,137.00

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.

$1,895.00

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.

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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$192.34 with Aetna vs $2,448.71 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 $192.34 ↓ -83%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $201.96 ↓ -82%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $211.57 ↓ -81%
Geisinger Medicaid $267.33 ↓ -76%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $285.24 ↓ -75%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $290.05 ↓ -74%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $300.26 ↓ -74%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $306.24 ↓ -73%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $327.79 ↓ -71%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $354.48 ↓ -69%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $947.50 ↓ -17%
Cigna Commercial $947.50 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $947.50 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $971.38 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $1,004.35 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $1,042.25 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $1,516.00 ↑ +33%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $2,247.34 ↑ +98%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $2,448.71 ↑ +115%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
Tricare East Region not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Quant diff pulm perf and vent w/imaging at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $1,574.40 $251.97 – $2,230.40
UPMC Cole Coudersport $1,030.80 $234.28 – $1,374.40
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $1,574.40 $251.97 – $2,247.34
UPMC Northwest Seneca $2,878.80 $245.43 – $538.84
UPMC Hanover Hanover $1,574.40 $251.97 – $822.74
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $2,235.00 $245.43 – $595.77
UPMC Jameson New Castle $1,276.80 $221.19 – $641.48
UPMC Lititz Lititz $1,574.40 $251.97 – $827.18

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →