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Lumbar diskogram s&i 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

$10,866.00

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.

$18,110.00

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.

$43.20 with United Healthcare Community Plan for Families vs $15,393.50 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
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $43.20 ↓ -100%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicaid $66.00 ↓ -99%
Aetna CHIP/Medicaid $78.00 ↓ -99%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $88.98 ↓ -99%
Health Partners Plans (Jefferson Health Plan) Medicaid/CHIP $90.48 ↓ -99%
Geisinger Medicaid/CHIP $93.40 ↓ -99%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $94.94 ↓ -99%
PA Health & Wellness Community Health Choices/PA Medicaid HMO $102.25 ↓ -99%
Highmark BCBS of PA Medicare Advantage $388.55 ↓ -96%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $850.17 ↓ -92%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $963.16 ↓ -91%
Multiplan Worker's Compensation $988.57 ↓ -91%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,289.80 ↓ -88%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $1,816.66 ↓ -83%
AmeriHealth Caritas Medicare $2,010.67 ↓ -81%
United Healthcare Medicare $2,010.67 ↓ -81%
Cigna Lifesource Medicare Transplant $2,010.67 ↓ -81%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $2,010.67 ↓ -81%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $2,010.67 ↓ -81%
Aetna Medicare $2,047.90 ↓ -81%
Aetna of PA Medicare $2,047.90 ↓ -81%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $2,432.95 ↓ -78%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $2,579.59 ↓ -76%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $8,491.78 ↓ -22%
Preferred Healthcare System PPO $11,771.50 ↑ +8%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $12,677.00 ↑ +17%
Fidelis Medicare $13,582.50 ↑ +25%
InterGroup InterGroup Services Corporation $13,582.50 ↑ +25%
Health Coalition Partners Intergroup $14,488.00 ↑ +33%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $14,488.00 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $14,488.00 ↑ +33%
Multiplan PPO $14,488.00 ↑ +33%
InterGroup Approved National Affiliated PPO Business $15,393.50 ↑ +42%
Health Payors Organization Commercial $15,393.50 ↑ +42%
Humana Commercial $15,393.50 ↑ +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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Lumbar diskogram s&i at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Muncy Muncy $1,968.60 $46.08 – $2,624.80
UPMC Somerset Somerset $4,030.20 $41.40 – $5,037.75
UPMC Wellsboro Wellsboro $2,380.80 $46.08 – $2,678.40

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →