healthcosts.net

Destruction by neurolytic agent w/imaging guidance lumbar/sacral additional (both sides) at UPMC Passavant-McCandless

9100 Babcock Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA · UPMC · · NPI 1225047699

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 7, 2026 · Ingested Aug 13, 2026

$4,192.80

Cash price

?

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.

$6,988.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$52.82 with UPMC Health Plan vs $5,939.80 with Private Health Care Systems — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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 $52.82 ↓ -99%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families Unison Kids $55.22 ↓ -99%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $71.21 ↓ -98%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $74.96 ↓ -98%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $81.84 ↓ -98%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $257.11 ↓ -94%
Private Health Care Systems Workers' Comp $298.96 ↓ -93%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $626.83 ↓ -85%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,395.62 ↓ -67%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $1,739.78 ↓ -59%
Aetna Medicare $1,747.00 ↓ -58%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,869.12 ↓ -55%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $2,255.45 ↓ -46%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $2,330.06 ↓ -44%
Cigna New Business ASO $2,375.92 ↓ -43%
Cigna Commercial $2,795.20 ↓ -33%
Health Plan of Upper Ohio Valley Commercial $3,228.46 ↓ -23%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $3,494.00 ↓ -17%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $3,738.24 ↓ -11%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $4,891.60 ↑ +17%
InterGroup PPO $5,800.04 ↑ +38%
Humana Commercial $5,939.80 ↑ +42%
Multiplan PPO (Includes Workers' Comp) $5,939.80 ↑ +42%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $5,939.80 ↑ +42%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Destruction by neurolytic agent w/imaging guidance lumbar/sacral additional (both sides) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $7,348.20 $52.82 – $11,022.30
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $4,494.60 $52.82 – $6,367.35
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $2,148.00 $52.82 – $3,043.00
UPMC Northwest Seneca $4,393.20 $52.82 – $6,223.70
UPMC Somerset Somerset $2,224.80 $52.82 – $2,781.00
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $3,434.40 $52.82 – $4,579.20

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →