Repair of achilles tendon at UPMC Altoona

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

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

not published by hospital

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.

not published by hospital

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.

$477.00 with Aetna vs $7,355.55 with AmeriHealth Caritas — 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 $477.00
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $500.85
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $524.70
Geisinger Medicaid $662.98
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $707.39
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $719.32
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $744.64
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $812.90
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $836.96
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $1,970.19
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $2,654.51
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $2,892.38
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $6,945.54
UPMC Health Plan Partners/Select $7,059.96
United Healthcare Medicare $7,287.44
Cigna Medicare $7,355.55
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $7,355.55
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $7,355.55
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $7,355.55
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Repair of achilles tendon at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $9,067.20 $605.79 – $12,845.20
UPMC Cole Coudersport $1,296.00 $500.85 – $1,970.19
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $9,067.20 $605.79 – $12,845.20
UPMC Hanover Hanover $9,067.20 $605.79 – $10,919.06
UPMC Lititz Lititz $9,067.20 $605.79 – $10,978.03
UPMC Memorial York $9,067.20 $605.79 – $10,960.19
UPMC Somerset Somerset $9,067.20 $524.70 – $6,810.69
Uniontown Hospital Uniontown $5,326.50 $7,033.14 – $16,387.22

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →