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Injection(s) epidural/subarachnoid lumbar/sacral needle placement w/guidance at UPMC Presbyterian

200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA · UPMC · · NPI 119473412

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

$3,595.20

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.

$5,992.00

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.

$89.45 with UPMC Health Plan vs $5,093.20 with Humana — 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 $89.45 ↓ -98%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $105.72 ↓ -97%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $120.60 ↓ -97%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $122.63 ↓ -97%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $126.59 ↓ -96%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $128.68 ↓ -96%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $138.59 ↓ -96%
Highmark BCBS of PA Medicare Advantage $155.11 ↓ -96%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $351.07 ↓ -90%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $384.50 ↓ -89%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $408.22 ↓ -89%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $514.90 ↓ -86%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $713.05 ↓ -80%
United Healthcare Medicare $713.05 ↓ -80%
Cigna Lifesource Medicare Transplant $713.05 ↓ -80%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $713.05 ↓ -80%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $713.05 ↓ -80%
Aetna Medicare $726.25 ↓ -80%
Aetna of PA Medicare $726.25 ↓ -80%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $789.67 ↓ -78%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $931.20 ↓ -74%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $1,029.79 ↓ -71%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $1,039.61 ↓ -71%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $1,057.54 ↓ -71%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $3,894.80 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $4,194.40 ↑ +17%
Fidelis Medicare $4,494.00 ↑ +25%
InterGroup InterGroup Services Corporation $4,494.00 ↑ +25%
Health Coalition Partners Intergroup $4,793.60 ↑ +33%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $4,793.60 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $4,793.60 ↑ +33%
Multiplan PPO $4,793.60 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $5,093.20 ↑ +42%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $5,093.20 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial $5,093.20 ↑ +42%
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 lumbar/sacral needle placement w/guidance at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,088.00 $89.45 – $2,958.00
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $2,047.80 $89.45 – $3,071.70
UPMC St. Margaret Pittsburgh $1,779.00 $89.45 – $2,520.25
UPMC Northwest Seneca $3,253.20 $89.45 – $4,608.70
UPMC Somerset Somerset $2,048.40 $89.45 – $2,560.50
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $2,094.60 $89.45 – $2,792.80

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →