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Injection(s) diagnostic/therapeutic agent facet lumbar/sacral single level 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

$1,860.60

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.

$3,101.00

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.

$239.89 with UPMC Work Partners vs $2,635.85 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 Work Partners Workers Comp $239.89 ↓ -87%
Highmark BCBS of PA Complete Blue Medicare Advantage/Freedom Blue Medicare Advantage/Security Blue Medicare Advantage $290.63 ↓ -84%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care - Social Mission $647.09 ↓ -65%
UPMC Health Plan Commercial $656.25 ↓ -65%
UPMC Health Plan Managed Medicare $732.84 ↓ -61%
Aetna Neighborhood Network $781.45 ↓ -58%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Social Mission Indemnity $841.18 ↓ -55%
Aetna Home Depot Employer Group $849.67 ↓ -54%
Highmark BCBS of PA Managed Care $866.63 ↓ -53%
Aetna NBR ASO/FI $868.28 ↓ -53%
Cigna New Business ASO $868.28 ↓ -53%
Aetna of PA Medicare $891.22 ↓ -52%
Highmark Wholecare (prev Gateway) Medicare $916.60 ↓ -51%
PA Health & Wellness Allwell Medicare Advantage DSNP/Medicare Advantage (Allwell by Wellcare) $916.68 ↓ -51%
Aetna Medicare $933.66 ↓ -50%
Highmark BCBS of PA Commercial - Indemnity $1,126.58 ↓ -39%
Aetna EBR FI $1,178.38 ↓ -37%
Aetna EBR ASO $1,240.40 ↓ -33%
Cigna Commercial $1,240.40 ↓ -33%
PA Health & Wellness PA Medicaid HMO $1,705.55 ↓ -8%
Highmark BCBS of PA UPMC Emergent $1,733.26 ↓ -7%
Coventry/First Health Commercial $2,170.70 ↑ +17%
Private Health Care Systems PPO $2,480.80 ↑ +33%
SelectCare Commercial $2,480.80 ↑ +33%
Humana Commercial $2,635.85 ↑ +42%
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) diagnostic/therapeutic agent facet lumbar/sacral single level at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Passavant-McCandless Pittsburgh $1,320.00 $239.89 – $1,870.00
UPMC Mercy Pittsburgh $1,656.60 $79.21 – $2,484.90
UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh $2,703.60 $272.84 – $3,830.10
UPMC Northwest Seneca $1,885.20 $239.89 – $2,670.70
UPMC Somerset Somerset $1,318.80 $239.89 – $1,648.50
UPMC Williamsport Williamsport $2,481.60 $239.89 – $3,308.80

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →