Crystal identification light microscopy at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center

5555 West Thunderbird Road, Glendale, AZ · Banner Health · · NPI 1154355188

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 2, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$15.05

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.

$72.00

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.

$7.33 with Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. vs $77.56 with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona — 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
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. PPO Medicare Advantage Plan $7.33 ↓ -51%
Wellpoint Medicare Advantage HMO $7.33 ↓ -51%
UPMC Health Plan Medicare Advantage $7.33 ↓ -51%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $7.33 ↓ -51%
TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp - VA CCN VA Community Care Network $7.33 ↓ -51%
Mercy Care Mercy Care Advantage $7.33 ↓ -51%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $7.33 ↓ -51%
Mercy Care Medicaid $7.33 ↓ -51%
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Medicare Advantage $7.33 ↓ -51%
Arizona Physicians IPA Medicaid $7.33 ↓ -51%
Arizona Physicians IPA Medicare Advantage $7.33 ↓ -51%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicaid $7.33 ↓ -51%
Gila River Health Care Corporation Managed Care Program $7.33 ↓ -51%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Medicare Advantage $7.33 ↓ -51%
Care 1st Medicare Advantage $7.33 ↓ -51%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. HMO Medicare Advantage Plan $7.33 ↓ -51%
Banner Health Medicare Advantage $7.33 ↓ -51%
Banner University Health Plan AZ Medicaid - AHCCCS $7.33 ↓ -51%
Banner University Health Plan Medicare Advantage $7.33 ↓ -51%
Banner University Health Plan University Family Plan $7.33 ↓ -51%
Health Net Medicaid $7.33 ↓ -51%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. Medicare Advantage $7.33 ↓ -51%
Humana Medicare Advantage $7.55 ↓ -50%
Devoted Health Services Medicare Advantage $7.70 ↓ -49%
Carelon Medicare Advantage $7.70 ↓ -49%
Arizona Priority Care Alignment Health Plans Medicare Advantage/Eternal Health Plan Medicare/SCAN Health Plan Medicare $8.06 ↓ -46%
Gold Kidney Health Plan Medicare Advantage $8.06 ↓ -46%
Aetna Qualified Health Plan $9.97 ↓ -34%
United Healthcare Individual Exchange $10.26 ↓ -32%
Health Net Commerical Exchange Product $10.85 ↓ -28%
Health Choice Arizona, Inc. ACA Health Plan $10.99 ↓ -27%
Oscar Health Plan Commercial $12.09 ↓ -20%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. LocalFlex $12.85 ↓ -15%
United Healthcare UHC Doctor's Plan $13.56 ↓ -10%
Cigna Healthcare of Arizona, Inc. Commercial $14.28 ↓ -5%
United Healthcare UHC Core $14.99 ↓ -0%
United Healthcare Commercial $16.50 ↑ +10%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Medicare Supplemental Senior Preferred $22.63 ↑ +50%
Aetna Banner Employee Plans $24.19 ↑ +61%
Aetna Joint Venture $24.61 ↑ +64%
Hospice of the Valley Medicare $25.20 ↑ +67%
Aetna Designated Group $26.15 ↑ +74%
Aetna Broad Network $30.77 ↑ +104%
National Healthcare Solutions Inc (NHSI) and VIP Universal Medical Insurance Group (VUMI) NHSI VUMI $32.40 ↑ +115%
Plotkin Health Plotkin Health $32.40 ↑ +115%
Aetna Medical Rental $37.94 ↑ +152%
Quiktrip Corporation Commercial $38.88 ↑ +158%
Arizona Medical Network Commercial $50.40 ↑ +235%
Provider Network of America Commercial $54.00 ↑ +259%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ MaricopaFocus $58.17 ↑ +287%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Neighborhood $58.17 ↑ +287%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Alliance/Blue HPN $62.05 ↑ +312%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BXBSAZ Alliance CHS $65.15 ↑ +333%
Mercy Care Mercy Care Advantage/Mercy Care Plan $72.99 ↑ +385%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona BCBSAZ Workers Comp $77.56 ↑ +415%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Commercial $77.56 ↑ +415%

Visitor-reported prices

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Crystal identification light microscopy at other Arizona hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Mercy Gilbert Medical Center Gilbert $7.14 $4.06 – $22.33
Banner University Medical Center Phoenix Phoenix $12.38 $7.33 – $54.00
Banner University Medical Center Tucson Tucson $12.71 $7.33 – $49.60
Banner University Medical Center South Tucson $10.97 $7.33 – $49.60
Banner Baywood Medical Center Mesa $41.83 $7.33 – $54.00
Banner Boswell Medical Center Sun City $11.59 $7.33 – $57.60
Banner Casa Grande Medical Center Casa Grande $20.66 $7.33 – $54.00
Banner Del Webb Medical Center Sun City West $14.04 $7.33 – $57.60

All Arizona hospitals for this procedure →