Lumbar radiofrequency ablation cost in Harrisburg, PA
In Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA, 5 hospitals list a cash price for radiofrequency ablation of facet joint nerves, lower back, one level: from $2,908.20 to $4,205.19, with a median of $3,032.36. The lowest listed price is at UPMC Pinnacle Hospitals and 1 other hospital — $124.16 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $3,253.33 at 40 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 5 cities for code 64635, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UPMC Pinnacle Hospitals lowest Harrisburg, PA · (717) 782-3131 HC DESTRUC L/S FACET JNT W/IG | $2,908.20 | $4,847.00 | $647.01–$4,602.81 | 40% | — source file |
| UPMC Carlisle lowest Carlisle, PA · (717) 249-1212 HC DESTRUC L/S FACET JNT W/IG | $2,908.20 | $4,847.00 | $647.01–$7,801.00 | 40% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center Camp Hill, PA · (717) 763-2100 64635 DESTROY LUMB/SAC FACET JNT Tech | $3,032.36 | $12,693.00 | $892.40–$10,154.40 | 76% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center Enola, PA · (717) 981-9000 64635 DESTROY LUMB/SAC FACET JNT Tech | $3,994.49 | $12,693.00 | $1,622.21–$10,154.40 | 69% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 NV ABL FACET LUMBAR OR SACRAL | $4,205.19 | $12,693.00 | $1,760.38–$11,137.38 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 64635 Destr Neurolytic Nerves Lumb/Sacr | $4,205.19 | $12,693.00 | $1,760.38–$11,137.38 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 NVI ABL Facet Lumbar Or Sacral - Report | $4,205.19 | $12,693.00 | $1,760.38–$11,137.38 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 PM ABL Facet Lumbar Or Sacral - Report | $4,205.19 | $12,693.00 | $1,760.38–$11,137.38 | 67% | — source file |
| Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA · (717) 531-8521 PS CT Ablation Facet Nerve L/S Spine - Report | $4,205.19 | $12,693.00 | $1,760.38–$11,137.38 | 67% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $2,908.20, median $3,032.36, highest $4,205.19 — a 1.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $3,032.36. 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 5 of 5 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
Radiofrequency ablation uses heat to disable the small nerves that carry pain from lower back facet joints, using imaging to guide the needle.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the injection and imaging guidance. The steroid or other medicine may be billed separately.