Crystal identification light microscopy at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center

350 W Thomas Rd, Phoenix, AZ · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1982733655

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$87.10

Cash price

?

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.

$228.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$3.08 with United vs $28.00 with BCBS - AZ — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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
United Commercial|Navigate $3.08 ↓ -96%
United Commercial|Options PPO $4.40 ↓ -95%
United Commercial|All Other Plans $4.40 ↓ -95%
United Commercial|DignityHealthEmployee $5.32 ↓ -94%
Mercy Care Plan Medicare|All Plans $7.33 ↓ -92%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $7.33 ↓ -92%
Mercy Care Plan Medicaid|All Plans $7.33 ↓ -92%
First Health Medicare|All Plans $7.33 ↓ -92%
BCBS - AZ Medicare|All Plans $7.33 ↓ -92%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $7.33 ↓ -92%
Optum Medicare|OptumCare $7.33 ↓ -92%
Care 1st Medicare|All Plans $7.33 ↓ -92%
United Medicare|All Other Plans $7.33 ↓ -92%
United Medicare|Dual Complete $7.33 ↓ -92%
Health Choice Medicare|All Plans $7.33 ↓ -92%
Health Choice Medicaid|All Plans $7.33 ↓ -92%
Cigna Medicare|All Plans $7.33 ↓ -92%
United Medicaid|All Plans $7.51 ↓ -91%
Optum Medicare|OptumHealth $8.06 ↓ -91%
Optum Commercial|OptumHealth $13.16 ↓ -85%
Cigna Commercial|Exchange $15.23 ↓ -83%
Cigna Commercial|LifeSource $15.40 ↓ -82%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus SureFit $16.28 ↓ -81%
Other Commercial|NTN $16.80 ↓ -81%
LifeTrac Commercial|All Plans $18.20 ↓ -79%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $19.60 ↓ -77%
Health Net Commercial|Interlink $19.60 ↓ -77%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $21.42 ↓ -75%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $22.12 ↓ -75%
Aetna Commercial|All Plans $23.05 ↓ -74%
BCBS - AZ Commercial|Workers Comp $28.00 ↓ -68%
BCBS - AZ Commercial|All Other Plans $28.00 ↓ -68%
BCBS - AZ Commercial|Neighborhood $28.00 ↓ -68%
BCBS - AZ Commercial|MaricopaFocus $28.00 ↓ -68%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Crystal identification light microscopy at other Arizona hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner University Medical Center Phoenix Phoenix $12.38 $7.33 – $54.00
Banner Estrella Medical Center Phoenix $18.65 $7.33 – $54.00
Arizona General Hospital Laveen Phoenix $40.54 $4.39 – $144.61
Mercy Gilbert Medical Center Gilbert $7.14 $4.06 – $22.33
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

All Arizona hospitals for this procedure →