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Injection(s) epidural/subarachnoid cervical/thoracic needle placement w/guidance at UPMC Mercy

1400 Locust Street, Pittsburgh, PA · UPMC · · NPI 163914308

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 6, 2026 · Ingested Aug 13, 2026

$2,164.80

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.

$3,608.00

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.

$98.12 with UPMC Health Plan vs $3,247.20 with Health Payors Organization — 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
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $98.12 ↓ -95%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA Medicaid $102.58 ↓ -95%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $132.28 ↓ -94%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $141.15 ↓ -93%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $152.01 ↓ -93%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $156.77 ↓ -93%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $353.08 ↓ -84%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $357.75 ↓ -83%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $472.83 ↓ -78%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $550.37 ↓ -75%
UPMC Health Plan EPO Partners/EPO Select Plan/HMO $677.53 ↓ -69%
Aetna of PA Medicare $693.24 ↓ -68%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $713.05 ↓ -67%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $713.05 ↓ -67%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $713.05 ↓ -67%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $725.15 ↓ -67%
Aetna Medicare $726.25 ↓ -66%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $971.12 ↓ -55%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $993.19 ↓ -54%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $1,006.63 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $1,098.64 ↓ -49%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $1,118.48 ↓ -48%
Cigna New Business ASO $1,226.72 ↓ -43%
Bravo Medicare $1,262.80 ↓ -42%
Aetna EBR FI $1,371.04 ↓ -37%
Cigna Commercial $1,443.20 ↓ -33%
Aetna EBR ASO $1,443.20 ↓ -33%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $1,587.52 ↓ -27%
UPMC Health Plan CHIP $1,796.70 ↓ -17%
InterGroup PPO $1,804.00 ↓ -17%
Cigna Behavioral Health Commercial $2,164.80 ↑ +0%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $2,706.00 ↑ +25%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $2,886.40 ↑ +33%
American Healthcare Group Commercial $2,886.40 ↑ +33%
National Provider Network PPO $2,958.56 ↑ +37%
Multiplan PPO (inc. Auto and Worker's Compensation) $3,247.20 ↑ +50%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $3,247.20 ↑ +50%
Tricare East Region not published by hospital
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Injection(s) epidural/subarachnoid cervical/thoracic needle placement w/guidance at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $1,939.20 $98.12 – $2,747.20
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $3,898.80 $98.12 – $5,523.30
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $3,899.40 $98.12 – $5,524.15
UPMC Northwest Seneca $4,189.80 $98.12 – $5,935.55
UPMC Somerset Somerset $2,048.40 $98.12 – $2,560.50
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $1,020.00 $98.12 – $1,360.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →