Arthrocentesis/aspiration/inj major joint/bursa without Ultrasound guidance (both sides) at Wellstar MCG Health

1120 15Th Street, Augusta, GA · Wellstar Health System · · NPI 1760875330

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Apr 1, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$905.19

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.

$2,321.00

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.

$268.99 with Aetna vs $3,391.00 with Aetna — 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
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $268.99 ↓ -70%
Bcbs Medicare Managed Care Plan $274.37 ↓ -70%
Select Health Medicare Managed Care Plan $279.75 ↓ -69%
Absolute Total Care Medicare Managed Care Plan $282.44 ↓ -69%
Clover Medicare Managed Care Plan $287.82 ↓ -68%
Molina Marketplace Exchange $309.34 ↓ -66%
Centurion Ga Dept. Of Corrections Medicare Managed Care Plan $349.68 ↓ -61%
The Care Network All Commercial Plans $403.48 ↓ -55%
Oscar Healthplan Exchange $457.28 ↓ -49%
Naphcare All Commercial Plans $470.73 ↓ -48%
Peachstate Ambetter Exchange $497.63 ↓ -45%
Caresource Exchange $527.22 ↓ -42%
Unitedhealthcare Individual Exchange Payer Appendix Exchange $693.00 ↓ -23%
Bcbs Anthem - Copps Hmo/Pos $759.11 ↓ -16%
Bcbs Anthem - Copps Ppo $978.60 ↑ +8%
Unitedhealthcare All Payer Appendix All Commercial Plans $1,251.00 ↑ +38%
Alliant Health Plan Ppo $1,308.00 ↑ +45%
Bcbs Hie/Pathways Exchange $1,698.85 ↑ +88%
Cigna Hmo $2,572.00 ↑ +184%
Aetna Hmo/Pos/Ppo $3,391.00 ↑ +275%

Visitor-reported prices

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Arthrocentesis/aspiration/inj major joint/bursa without Ultrasound guidance (both sides) at other Georgia hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Wellstar Cobb Hospital Austell $905.19 $311.77 – $2,665.00
Wellstar Douglas Hospital Douglasville $905.19 $308.97 – $2,665.00
Wellstar Kennestone Hospital Marietta $905.19 $311.77 – $2,665.00
Wellstar North Fulton Hospital Roswell $905.19 $311.77 – $2,665.00
Wellstar Paulding Hospital Hiram $905.19 $311.77 – $2,665.00
Wellstar Roosevelt Long Term Acute Care at Warm Springs P O Box 280 $905.19 not published
Wellstar Spalding Regional Hospital Griffin $905.19 $307.88 – $2,665.00
Wellstar Sylvan Grove Hospital Jackson $905.19 $836.02 – $3,391.00

All Georgia hospitals for this procedure →