Thoracentesis pleural space needle/catheter aspiration with imaging guidance (both sides) 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

$670.80

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$1,670.00

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.

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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$269.33 with Passport by Molina vs $2,584.00 with BCBS - Anthem — 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.

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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.

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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
Passport by Molina Medicaid|All Plans $269.33 ↓ -60%
Wellcare Medicaid|All Plans $280.79 ↓ -58%
Humana Medicaid|All Plans $283.66 ↓ -58%
Aetna Medicaid|Better Health $286.52 ↓ -57%
United Medicaid|Community Plan $292.26 ↓ -56%
BCBS - Anthem Medicaid|All Plans $300.85 ↓ -55%
United Commercial|Non-Options $551.00 ↓ -18%
BCBS - Anthem Medicare|All Plans $607.43 ↓ -9%
Wellcare Medicare|All Plans $607.43 ↓ -9%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $607.43 ↓ -9%
Aetna Medicare|All Plans $625.65 ↓ -7%
United Medicare|All Plans $631.73 ↓ -6%
Passport by Molina Medicare|All Plans $637.80 ↓ -5%
Aetna Commercial|HMO $694.26 ↑ +3%
Aetna Commercial|All Other Plans $694.26 ↑ +3%
Aetna Commercial|PPO $694.26 ↑ +3%
Cigna Commercial|All Other Plans $705.28 ↑ +5%
Cigna Commercial|PPO $705.28 ↑ +5%
United Commercial|Options PPO $859.56 ↑ +28%
Multiplan Commercial|All Plans $1,002.82 ↑ +49%
CareSource Commercial|All Plans $1,214.86 ↑ +81%
Humana Commercial|All Plans $1,538.38 ↑ +129%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|Pathway $2,186.00 ↑ +226%
BCBS - Anthem Commercial|HMO PPO $2,584.00 ↑ +285%

Visitor-reported prices

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Thoracentesis pleural space needle/catheter aspiration with imaging guidance (both sides) at other Kentucky hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
CHI Saint Joseph Health - Saint Joseph Hospital Lexington $841.05 $286.35 – $1,109.29
CHI Saint Joseph Health - Saint Joseph Berea Berea $663.79 $372.19 – $1,227.59
CHI Saint Joseph Health - Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Mt. Sterling $531.03 $221.44 – $962.78
CHI Saint Joseph Health - Saint Joseph London London $595.92 $191.50 – $1,220.31
CHI Saint Joseph Health - Flaget Memorial Hospital Bardstown $870.21 $169.00 – $871.78
Adventhealth Manchester Manchester $3,153.94 $588.59 – $588.59

All Kentucky hospitals for this procedure →