X-ray ribs 2 views left at UPMC Altoona

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

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

$180.60

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.

$301.00

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.

$16.50 with Aetna vs $240.80 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 $16.50 ↓ -91%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $17.32 ↓ -90%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $18.15 ↓ -90%
Geisinger Medicaid $22.93 ↓ -87%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $24.47 ↓ -86%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $24.88 ↓ -86%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $25.76 ↓ -86%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $28.12 ↓ -84%
Highmark BCBS of PA Community Blue Medicare Advantage/Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage/Together Blue Medicare Advantage $38.48 ↓ -79%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $48.05 ↓ -73%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $127.62 ↓ -29%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $139.06 ↓ -23%
Cigna Commercial $150.50 ↓ -17%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $150.50 ↓ -17%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $150.50 ↓ -17%
United Healthcare Commercial $154.29 ↓ -15%
Aetna Commercial $159.53 ↓ -12%
Geisinger Commercial $165.55 ↓ -8%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $240.80 ↑ +33%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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X-ray ribs 2 views left at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Bedford Everett $100.20 $27.82 – $150.30
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $188.40 $21.61 – $419.44
UPMC Cole Coudersport $84.00 $27.82 – $112.00
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $188.40 $21.61 – $266.90
UPMC East Monroeville $436.20 $29.15 – $581.60
UPMC Hamot Erie $337.20 $25.96 – $118.50
UPMC Northwest Seneca $175.20 $29.15 – $88.15
UPMC Hanover Hanover $188.40 $21.61 – $419.44

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →