Shock wave lithotripsy cost in Pittsburgh, PA
In Pittsburgh, PA, 4 hospitals list a cash price for shock-wave lithotripsy to break up kidney stones (from outside the body): from $8,163.60 to $9,684.48, with a median of $8,609.70. The lowest listed price is at Highlands Hospital and 1 other hospital — $446.10 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $6,655.20 at 20 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 4 cities for code 50590, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 6, 2026 and Apr 14, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Pittsburgh, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highlands Hospital one side lowest Connellsville, PA · (724) 628-1500 LITHOTRIPSY - UNILATERAL | $8,163.60 | $13,606.00 | $4,585.22–$10,612.68 | 40% | — source file |
| Monogahela Valley Hospital one side lowest Monongahela, PA · (724) 258-1000 UNILATERAL LITHOTRIPSY | $8,163.60 | $13,606.00 | $3,660.01–$16,674.15 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Presbyterian Pittsburgh, PA · (412) 647-2345 LITHOTRIPSY | $9,055.80 | $15,093.00 | $274.45–$12,829.05 | 40% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| Canonsburg General Hospital Canonsburg, PA · (724) 745-6100 HC LITHOTRIPSY | $9,684.48 | $12,416.00 | $249.50–$10,443.34 | 22% | Apr 14, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $8,163.60, median $8,609.70, highest $9,684.48 — a 1.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $8,609.70. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 4 of 4 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What it is
Shock-wave lithotripsy breaks kidney or ureter stones into small pieces with sound waves aimed from outside the body, so the pieces can pass in the urine. No cut is made, and it is usually done under sedation or anesthesia.
What the price covers
The listed price usually covers the lithotripsy treatment in the facility. The urologist, anesthesia, X-rays and any stent placement are often billed separately; some hospitals rent the machine from an outside company, which can change how the charge is listed.
7 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 50590 ($5,458.00). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Jefferson Regional Medical Center Jefferson Hills, PAPR LITHOTRIPSY XTRCORP SHOCK WAVE | $305.71 | file |
| Forbes Hospital Monroeville, PAPR LITHOTRIPSY XTRCORP SHOCK WAVE | $353.98 | file |
| Canonsburg General Hospital Canonsburg, PAPR LITHOTRIPSY XTRCORP SHOCK WAVE | $353.98 | file |
| Alle-Kiski Medical Center Natrona Heights, PAPR LITHOTRIPSY XTRCORP SHOCK WAVE | $370.07 | file |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PAPR LITHOTRIPSY XTRCORP SHOCK WAVE | $386.16 | file |
| AHN Wexford Hospital Wexford, PAPR LITHOTRIPSY XTRCORP SHOCK WAVE | $418.34 | file |
| West Penn Hospital Pittsburgh, PAPR LITHOTRIPSY XTRCORP SHOCK WAVE | $434.43 | file |