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Injection(s) anesthetic agent(s)/steroid lumb/s transforaminal epidural w/img single (both sides) at UPMC St. Margaret

815 Freeport Road, Pittsburgh, PA · UPMC · · NPI 1790795359

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

$1,952.40

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.

$3,254.00

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.

$104.54 with UPMC Health Plan vs $3,529.19 with Highmark BCBS of PA — 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 $104.54 ↓ -95%
United Healthcare Community Plan for Families PA CHIP/PA Medicaid $104.54 ↓ -95%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicaid $140.94 ↓ -93%
AmeriHealth Caritas Community HealthChoices (CHC)/Medicaid $148.37 ↓ -92%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $161.97 ↓ -92%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $285.66 ↓ -85%
UPMC Work Partners Workers Comp $413.89 ↓ -79%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $591.77 ↓ -70%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $732.84 ↓ -62%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $820.01 ↓ -58%
Aetna of PA Medicare $891.22 ↓ -54%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $891.60 ↓ -54%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $911.12 ↓ -53%
Cigna New Business ASO $911.12 ↓ -53%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $916.60 ↓ -53%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $916.68 ↓ -53%
Aetna Medicare $933.66 ↓ -52%
Aetna EBR FI $1,236.52 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $1,301.60 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $1,301.60 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $1,317.57 ↓ -33%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $1,712.78 ↓ -12%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $1,764.60 ↓ -10%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $2,277.80 ↑ +17%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $2,293.90 ↑ +17%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $2,603.20 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $2,603.20 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $2,765.90 ↑ +42%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $3,529.19 ↑ +81%
US Family Health Plan Tricare Prime not published by hospital
Tricare East Region not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Injection(s) anesthetic agent(s)/steroid lumb/s transforaminal epidural w/img single (both sides) at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $2,757.60 $104.54 – $3,906.60
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $1,656.60 $104.54 – $2,484.90
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $2,703.60 $104.54 – $3,830.10
UPMC Northwest Seneca $2,674.80 $104.54 – $3,789.30
UPMC Somerset Somerset $2,647.20 $104.54 – $3,309.00
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $1,461.00 $104.54 – $1,948.00

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →