Lumbar radiofrequency ablation cost in Philadelphia, PA
In Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, 9 hospitals list a cash price for radiofrequency ablation of facet joint nerves, lower back, one level: from $510.00 to $4,822.35, with a median of $799.80. The lowest listed price is at St Mary Medical Center — $289.80 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $3,253.33 at 40 hospitals.
Cash prices at 9 facilities across 9 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 Mar 31, 2026 and Sep 1, 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary Medical Center lowest Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 PR Dest by Neurolytic Agent Pv Fct Jt Nrv W Imgn Gud Lumbar/Sacral Sgl | $510.00 | — | $61.45–$1,184.26 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| West Jersey Hospital Voorhees, NJ · (856) 247-3000 HC Neurolysis Facet Lumbosacral 1 Joint | $799.80 | $7,998.00 | $255.17–$16,391.00 | 90% | — source file |
| West Jersey Hospital Voorhees, NJ · (856) 247-3000 HC Neurolysis Facet Lumbosacral 1 Joint | $799.80 | $7,998.00 | $255.17–$16,391.00 | 90% | — source file |
| Virtua Willingboro Hospital Willinboro, NJ · (609) 835-2900 HC Neurolysis Facet Lumbosacral 1 Joint | $799.80 | $7,998.00 | $255.17–$16,391.00 | 90% | — source file |
| Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Camden, NJ · (856) 886-5373 HC Neurolysis Facet Lumbosacral 1 Joint | $799.80 | $7,998.00 | $255.17–$16,391.00 | 90% | — source file |
| Virtua Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NJ · (609) 267-0700 HC Neurolysis Facet Lumbosacral 1 Joint | $799.80 | $7,998.00 | $255.17–$16,391.00 | 90% | — source file |
| Lower Bucks Hospital Bristol, PA · (215) 785-9200 Hc Dstr Nrolytc Agnt Parverteb Fct Sngl Lmbr/Sacral | $1,921.00 | $7,817.10 | $776.00–$6,253.68 | 75% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Roxborough Memorial Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 483-9900 Hc Dstr Nrolytc Agnt Parverteb Fct Sngl Lmbr/Sacral | $1,996.00 | $7,817.10 | $776.00–$7,582.59 | 74% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Roxborough Memorial Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 483-9900 Hc Dstr Nrolytc Agnt Parverteb Fct Sngl Lmbr/Sacral | $1,996.00 | $7,817.10 | $776.00–$7,582.59 | 74% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| St Mary Medical Center one side Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Rt | $3,499.60 | $5,384.00 | $206.24–$6,382.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St Mary Medical Center one side Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Lt | $3,499.60 | $5,384.00 | $206.24–$6,382.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital one side Darby, PA · (215) 237-4000 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Rt | $4,270.50 | $6,570.00 | $242.11–$6,570.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital one side Darby, PA · (215) 237-4000 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Lt | $4,270.50 | $6,570.00 | $242.11–$6,570.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St. Francis Hospital one side Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Lt | $4,822.35 | $7,419.00 | $2,078.45–$7,334.42 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St. Francis Hospital one side Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Rt | $4,822.35 | $7,419.00 | $2,078.45–$7,334.42 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St Mary Medical Center Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Bl | $5,249.40 | $8,076.00 | $206.24–$7,672.20 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital Darby, PA · (215) 237-4000 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Bl | $6,406.40 | $9,856.00 | $242.11–$9,856.00 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| St. Francis Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Bl | $7,233.85 | $11,129.00 | $2,078.45–$11,002.13 | 35% | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital Darby, PA · (215) 237-4000 HC Destruction by Neurolytic Agent W/Imaging Guidance Lumbar/Sacral Bl | $12,205.86 | — | $699.43–$5,424.64 | — | Mar 31, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $510.00, median $799.80, highest $4,822.35 — a 9.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $4,270.50. 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 9 of 9 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.