Puncture spinal lumbar diagnostic 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

$2,540.30

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.

$6,650.00

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.

$66.16 with United vs $5,253.50 with MultiPlan — 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
United Medicaid|All Plans $66.16 ↓ -97%
Health Choice Medicaid|All Plans $66.16 ↓ -97%
United Medicare|Dual Complete $720.28 ↓ -72%
Optum Medicare|OptumCare $738.10 ↓ -71%
Mercy Care Plan Medicaid|All Plans $738.10 ↓ -71%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $738.10 ↓ -71%
Health Choice Medicare|All Plans $738.10 ↓ -71%
First Health Medicare|All Plans $738.10 ↓ -71%
BCBS - AZ Medicare|All Plans $738.10 ↓ -71%
United Medicare|All Other Plans $738.10 ↓ -71%
Care 1st Medicare|All Plans $738.10 ↓ -71%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $738.10 ↓ -71%
Mercy Care Plan Medicare|All Plans $738.10 ↓ -71%
Cigna Medicare|All Plans $738.10 ↓ -71%
Devoted Health Medicare|All Plans $760.24 ↓ -70%
Optum Medicare|OptumHealth $811.91 ↓ -68%
BCBS - AZ Commercial|Neighborhood $827.49 ↓ -67%
BCBS - AZ Commercial|MaricopaFocus $827.49 ↓ -67%
BCBS - AZ Commercial|All Other Plans $1,103.32 ↓ -57%
United Commercial|DignityHealthEmployee $1,263.50 ↓ -50%
BCBS - AZ Commercial|Workers Comp $1,635.21 ↓ -36%
Cigna Commercial|Exchange $2,119.00 ↓ -17%
Cigna Commercial|LocalPlus SureFit $2,269.00 ↓ -11%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $2,985.00 ↑ +18%
Optum Commercial|OptumHealth $3,125.50 ↑ +23%
Cigna Commercial|LifeSource $3,657.50 ↑ +44%
Other Commercial|NTN $3,990.00 ↑ +57%
LifeTrac Commercial|All Plans $4,322.50 ↑ +70%
Health Net Commercial|Interlink $4,655.00 ↑ +83%
First Health Commercial|All Plans $4,655.00 ↑ +83%
MultiPlan Commercial|All Plans $5,253.50 ↑ +107%

Visitor-reported prices

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Puncture spinal lumbar diagnostic at other Arizona hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Banner University Medical Center Phoenix Phoenix $654.23 $424.37 – $1,217.87
Banner Estrella Medical Center Phoenix $488.78 $442.05 – $1,217.87
Arizona General Hospital Laveen Phoenix not published $66.16 – $760.25
Mercy Gilbert Medical Center Gilbert $552.77 $66.16 – $1,277.43
Banner University Medical Center Tucson Tucson $372.44 $333.45 – $1,217.87
Banner University Medical Center South Tucson $540.70 $359.10 – $1,217.87
Banner Baywood Medical Center Mesa $484.99 $424.37 – $1,217.87
Banner Boswell Medical Center Sun City $365.01 $442.05 – $1,217.87

All Arizona hospitals for this procedure →