Puncture spinal lumbar diagnostic at CHI Saint Joseph Health - Saint Joseph East

150 North Eagle Creek Drive, Lexington, KY · CommonSpirit Health · · NPI 1447457775

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

$1,166.47

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.

$2,904.00

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.

$680.39 with BCBS - Anthem vs $2,642.64 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
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $680.39 ↓ -42%
Wellcare Medicare|All Plans $680.39 ↓ -42%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $680.39 ↓ -42%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $700.80 ↓ -40%
United Medicare|All Plans $707.61 ↓ -39%
Passport by Molina Medicaid|All Plans $709.74 ↓ -39%
Passport by Molina Medicare|All Plans $714.41 ↓ -39%
Wellcare Medicaid|All Plans $739.94 ↓ -37%
Humana Medicaid|All Plans $747.49 ↓ -36%
Aetna Medicaid|Better Health $755.04 ↓ -35%
United Medicaid|Community Plan $770.15 ↓ -34%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $792.80 ↓ -32%
CareSource Commercial|All Plans $1,360.78 ↑ +17%
United Commercial|Non-Options $1,452.00 ↑ +24%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $1,538.38 ↑ +32%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $1,829.52 ↑ +57%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $1,829.52 ↑ +57%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $1,829.52 ↑ +57%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $1,858.56 ↑ +59%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $1,858.56 ↑ +59%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Pathway $2,186.00 ↑ +87%
United Commercial|Options PPO $2,265.12 ↑ +94%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|HMO PPO $2,584.00 ↑ +122%
Multiplan Commercial|All Plans $2,642.64 ↑ +127%

Visitor-reported prices

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Puncture spinal lumbar diagnostic at other Kentucky hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
CHI Saint Joseph Health - Saint Joseph Hospital Lexington $673.18 $265.21 – $1,027.39
CHI Saint Joseph Health - Saint Joseph Berea Berea $255.49 $146.23 – $482.30
CHI Saint Joseph Health - Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Mt. Sterling $231.99 $132.49 – $576.03
CHI Saint Joseph Health - Saint Joseph London London $299.03 $119.67 – $762.58
CHI Saint Joseph Health - Flaget Memorial Hospital Bardstown $626.67 $260.55 – $1,344.07
Adventhealth Manchester Manchester $3,192.12 $662.32 – $662.32

All Kentucky hospitals for this procedure →