Probe nasolacrimal duct at CHRISTUS Louisiana Surgical Hospital

651 N Bolton Ave, Alexandria, LA · Christushealth · · NPI 1164750840

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jan 8, 2026 · Ingested Sep 16, 2026

not published by hospital

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.

not published by hospital

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.

$210.18 with Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana vs $2,601.00 with Cigna — 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
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana HMO $210.18
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana PPO $210.18
Aetna Better Health Medicare $284.35
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana Medicare $284.35
Vantage Health Plan Inc. Medicare $284.35
Dignity Health All Plans $292.88
Amerihealth Caritas Louisiana Medicaid $360.84
Louisana Healthcare Connections Medicaid $360.84
Aetna Better Health Medicaid $360.84
Healthy Blue Louisiana Medicaid $364.45
Humana All Plans $668.22
Aetna New Business $671.07
Vantage Health Plan Inc. Commercial $710.88
United Healthcare All Payer $748.00
Aetna Commercial $787.65
Cigna All Plans $2,601.00
Gilsbar Inc. PPO not published by hospital
Multiplan PPO not published by hospital
Provider Select All Plans not published by hospital
PPOplus Llc All Plans not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Probe nasolacrimal duct at other Louisiana hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
CHRISTUS St. Francis Cabrini Hospital Alexandria not published $278.66 – $780.36
CHRISTUS Ochsner St. Patrick Hospital Lake Charles not published $270.70 – $607.40
CHRISTUS Ochsner Lake Area Hospital Lake Charles not published $266.27 – $598.06
CHRISTUS Coushatta Health Care Center Coushatta not published $349.65 – $710.16

All Louisiana hospitals for this procedure →