CostGrade
C

57/100

#1,061 nationally

Upmc Altoona

620 Howard Avenue, Altoona, PA 16601 · (814) 889-2011

Charges well above the national norm

For every $1 of care Medicare actually paid for here, Upmc Altoona billed $4.28 in list charges. That gap does not change a Medicare patient's bill — but it is where an uninsured or out-of-network bill starts.

Charge-to-payment
4.3x
volume-weighted across all its priced work
Procedures priced
92
inpatient and outpatient combined
Rank in PA
#46
lower markup ranks higher
CMS quality stars
3/5
shown for context, not in the grade

How this grade was reached

Each component is scored against every other U.S. hospital in the same federal files, so the grade is a position in the country, not a pass mark we invented.

Inpatient charge markup 17.0/35

Better than 49% of U.S. hospitals.

Outpatient charge markup 17.7/25

Better than 71% of U.S. hospitals.

Price level vs national median 18.1/30

Better than 61% of U.S. hospitals.

Price consistency 4.1/10

Better than 41% of U.S. hospitals.

What this hospital treats most

The ten procedures it billed Medicare for most often, with its charge beside the national middle.

Procedure Patients Charged Actually paid vs national
Comprehensive Observation Services

APC 8011 · Hospital outpatient visit

207 $15,507 $2,568 -20%
Level 1 Endovascular Procedures

APC 5191 · Hospital outpatient visit

170 $22,004 $3,122 -13%
Sepsis (severe)

MS-DRG 871 · Inpatient stay

165 $61,463 $15,598 -6%
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage

APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit

122 $10,943 $1,551 +9%
Percutaneous and Other Intracardiac Procedures without Major Complications

MS-DRG 274 · Inpatient stay

111 $108,070 $24,750 -13%
Heart Failure (severe)

MS-DRG 291 · Inpatient stay

103 $31,110 $9,739 -28%
Level 3 Electrophysiologic Procedures

APC 5213 · Hospital outpatient visit

88 $94,267 $22,659 -29%
Level 3 Endovascular Procedures

APC 5193 · Hospital outpatient visit

83 $41,522 $10,406 -39%
Level 1 Laparoscopy and Related Services

APC 5361 · Hospital outpatient visit

76 $30,190 $5,346 -14%
Heart Attack (severe)

MS-DRG 280 · Inpatient stay

72 $54,061 $12,108 -12%

Where its charges run furthest above the national middle

Only procedures it performed at least eleven times, so a single unusual case cannot produce the headline.

Procedure Charged Actually paid vs national
Level 2 Urology and Related Services

APC 5372 · Hospital outpatient visit

$9,568 $654 +205%
Level 4 Gynecologic Procedures

APC 5414 · Hospital outpatient visit

$23,691 $2,991 +30%
Level 5 Urology and Related Services

APC 5375 · Hospital outpatient visit

$35,516 $4,950 +29%
Level 2 Upper GI Procedures

APC 5302 · Hospital outpatient visit

$13,725 $1,820 +17%
Psychoses

MS-DRG 885 · Inpatient stay

$41,888 $10,213 +16%
Level 4 Urology and Related Services

APC 5374 · Hospital outpatient visit

$23,355 $3,335 +13%
Level 2 Excision/ Biopsy/ Incision and Drainage

APC 5072 · Hospital outpatient visit

$10,943 $1,551 +9%
Level 3 Extraocular, Repair, and Plastic Eye Procedures

APC 5503 · Hospital outpatient visit

$15,265 $2,073 +6%

Where it charges least relative to everyone else

Procedure Charged Actually paid vs national
Other Digestive System Diagnoses with Complications

MS-DRG 394 · Inpatient stay

$21,514 $7,377 -45%
Level 4 Pacemaker and Similar Procedures

APC 5224 · Hospital outpatient visit

$53,146 $18,596 -44%
Irregular Heartbeat (severe)

MS-DRG 308 · Inpatient stay

$27,549 $8,983 -42%
Irregular Heartbeat (uncomplicated)

MS-DRG 310 · Inpatient stay

$14,909 $4,424 -41%
Level 2 Pacemaker and Similar Procedures

APC 5222 · Hospital outpatient visit

$22,453 $8,127 -41%
Signs and Symptoms without Major Complications

MS-DRG 948 · Inpatient stay

$19,562 $6,270 -40%
Level 3 Endovascular Procedures

APC 5193 · Hospital outpatient visit

$41,522 $10,406 -39%
Other Cerebrovascular Disorders with Complications

MS-DRG 071 · Inpatient stay

$27,345 $8,903 -38%

What this page cannot tell you

  • It is not your bill. These are averages across Medicare patients. What you pay depends on your insurance, your plan's negotiated rate and your own case.
  • It is not a quality rating. A hospital with a high markup may be excellent, and one with a low markup may not be. We checked: across every U.S. hospital, markup and the CMS quality star rating barely move together.
  • A charge is not a cost. Hospitals do not collect their list charges from insured patients. The number matters because it is the opening figure on an uninsured or out-of-network bill.
  • Ask for the real number. Every U.S. hospital must publish a machine-readable price file and give you a written good-faith estimate on request.