Whfo nontorsion joint prefab at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$159.00

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.

Full explanation →

What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$265.00

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.

$50.35 with Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) vs $876.95 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
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $50.35 ↓ -68%
Geisinger Medicaid $87.45 ↓ -45%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $103.35 ↓ -35%
Cigna Commercial $132.50 ↓ -17%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $132.50 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $132.50 ↓ -17%
Aetna Commercial $140.45 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $145.75 ↓ -8%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $145.75 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $212.00 ↑ +33%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $233.39 ↑ +47%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $267.44 ↑ +68%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $804.83 ↑ +406%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $876.95 ↑ +452%

Visitor-reported prices

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Whfo nontorsion joint prefab at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $585.60 $180.12 – $853.20
UPMC Cole Coudersport $670.80 $212.42 – $894.40
UPMC East Monroeville $201.60 $16.72 – $804.83
UPMC Hamot Erie $537.00 $233.39 – $267.44
UPMC Northwest Seneca $547.20 $233.39 – $973.92
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $339.60 $233.39 – $804.83
UPMC Jameson New Castle $106.20 $96.81 – $804.83
UPMC Magee Pittsburgh $165.60 $106.49 – $804.83

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →