Smear gram stain at Baptist Health Louisville

4000 Kresge Way, Louisville, KY · Baptisthealth · · NPI 1265539498

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Sep 3, 2026 · Ingested Sep 17, 2026

$53.64

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.

$71.52

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.

$2.56 with UHC ALL PAYER NEW - ALL OTHER PLANS vs $69.96 with PASSPORT MCR/MCD ADV — 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
UHC ALL PAYER NEW - ALL OTHER PLANS UHC ALL PAYER NEW - ALL OTHER PLANS $2.56 ↓ -95%
ANTHEM PATH HPN ANTHEM PATH HPN $3.63 ↓ -93%
ANTHEM INDIANA HMO ANTHEM INDIANA HMO $3.63 ↓ -93%
ANTHEM BLUE PREF HMO/HIC ANTHEM BLUE PREF HMO/HIC $3.63 ↓ -93%
ANTHEM BLUE ACCESS PPO ANTHEM BLUE ACCESS PPO $3.63 ↓ -93%
ANTHEM BLUE TRAD - ALL OTHER PLANS ANTHEM BLUE TRAD - ALL OTHER PLANS $3.63 ↓ -93%
ANTHEM PATH HMO ANTHEM PATH HMO $3.63 ↓ -93%
HEALTHLINK-ALL PLANS HEALTHLINK-ALL PLANS $3.63 ↓ -93%
CIGNA - ALL PLANS CIGNA - ALL PLANS $3.70 ↓ -93%
AETNA MCAID AETNA MCAID $4.27 ↓ -92%
ALLIANCE COAL - ALL PLANS ALLIANCE COAL - ALL PLANS $4.27 ↓ -92%
CARESOURCE-ALL PLANS CARESOURCE-ALL PLANS $4.27 ↓ -92%
WELLCARE MCAID - ALL PLANS WELLCARE MCAID - ALL PLANS $4.27 ↓ -92%
UHC MCAID UHC MCAID $4.27 ↓ -92%
SIG ADVANTAGE - ALL PLANS SIG ADVANTAGE - ALL PLANS $4.27 ↓ -92%
MOLINA MCAID - ALL PLANS MOLINA MCAID - ALL PLANS $4.27 ↓ -92%
HUMANA MCAID - ALL OTHER PLANS HUMANA MCAID - ALL OTHER PLANS $4.27 ↓ -92%
ANTHEM MCR ADV ANTHEM MCR ADV $4.29 ↓ -92%
HUMANA MCR ADV HUMANA MCR ADV $4.48 ↓ -92%
AMBETTER/WCARE IND MRKT AMBETTER/WCARE IND MRKT $8.22 ↓ -85%
AMBETTER/WCARE DIRECT IND - ALL OTHER PLANS AMBETTER/WCARE DIRECT IND - ALL OTHER PLANS $8.22 ↓ -85%
ANTHEM BHS1 ANTHEM BHS1 $17.23 ↓ -68%
AETNA NEW BUS - ALL OTHER PLANS AETNA NEW BUS - ALL OTHER PLANS $22.88 ↓ -57%
UHC ALL PAYER OLD UHC ALL PAYER OLD $24.98 ↓ -53%
AETNA COMM AETNA COMM $30.34 ↓ -43%
SIHO EXCLUS NTWRK SIHO EXCLUS NTWRK $31.48 ↓ -41%
SIHO DUAL NTWRK SIHO DUAL NTWRK $34.98 ↓ -35%
SIHO PPO - ALL OTHER PLANS SIHO PPO - ALL OTHER PLANS $48.97 ↓ -9%
PHCS-ALL PLANS PHCS-ALL PLANS $48.97 ↓ -9%
MULTIPLAN-ALL PLANS MULTIPLAN-ALL PLANS $59.47 ↑ +11%
CENTER CARE-ALL PLANS CENTER CARE-ALL PLANS $62.53 ↑ +17%
ANTHEM MCR SELECT ANTHEM MCR SELECT $69.96 ↑ +30%
PASSPORT MCR ADV - ALL OTHER PLANS PASSPORT MCR ADV - ALL OTHER PLANS $69.96 ↑ +30%
AETNA MCR ADV AETNA MCR ADV $69.96 ↑ +30%
PASSPORT MCR/MCD ADV PASSPORT MCR/MCD ADV $69.96 ↑ +30%

Visitor-reported prices

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Smear gram stain at other Kentucky hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
CHI Saint Joseph Health - Saint Joseph Berea Berea $32.78 $3.63 – $61.88
Marcum Wallace Hospital Irvine $36.60 not published
Lourdes Hospital Paducah $75.00 not published
CHI Saint Joseph Health - Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Mt. Sterling $19.79 $3.63 – $49.14
CHI Saint Joseph Health - Saint Joseph London London $33.19 $3.63 – $84.63
CHI Saint Joseph Health - Saint Joseph East Lexington $48.61 $3.63 – $110.11
CHI Saint Joseph Health - Saint Joseph Hospital Lexington $60.94 $3.63 – $110.11
CHI Saint Joseph Health - Flaget Memorial Hospital Bardstown $46.68 $3.63 – $100.10

All Kentucky hospitals for this procedure →