Biopsy muscle percutaneous needle at CHRISTUS St. Francis Cabrini Hospital

3330 Masonic Dr, Alexandria, LA · Christushealth · · NPI 1639160799

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jan 13, 2026 · Ingested Sep 16, 2026

$968.24

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.

$3,724.00

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.

$360.84 with United Healthcare vs $5,010.00 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
United Healthcare KM $360.84 ↓ -63%
Louisiana Healthcare Connections KM $360.84 ↓ -63%
Amerihealth Caritas Louisiana KM $360.84 ↓ -63%
Healthy Blue Louisiana KM $364.45 ↓ -62%
Humana Healthy Horizons KM $368.06 ↓ -62%
Aetna KM $378.88 ↓ -61%
Humana Choicecare $942.00 ↓ -3%
Aetna New Business $1,230.00 ↑ +27%
Aetna PPO $1,447.00 ↑ +49%
Triwest VA MM $1,510.38 ↑ +56%
Humana Gold Choice MM $1,510.38 ↑ +56%
Humana Gold Plus MM $1,510.38 ↑ +56%
Arcadian Health Plan MM $1,541.20 ↑ +59%
Coventry First Health MM $1,541.20 ↑ +59%
Active Med PPO $1,541.20 ↑ +59%
United Healthcare VA CCN MM $1,541.20 ↑ +59%
Vantage Health Plan Inc. Gold Plus MM $1,541.20 ↑ +59%
Aetna MM $1,541.20 ↑ +59%
Christus Health Med Adv MM $1,541.20 ↑ +59%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana MM $1,541.20 ↑ +59%
United Healthcare MM $1,572.02 ↑ +62%
Dignity Health MM $1,587.44 ↑ +64%
Peoples Health MM $1,587.44 ↑ +64%
Wellcare MM $1,618.26 ↑ +67%
American Health Medicare Advantage MM $1,695.32 ↑ +75%
AllyAlign Health MM $1,695.32 ↑ +75%
LSU First Choice Verity PPO $1,862.00 ↑ +92%
Vantage Health Plan Inc. PPO $1,862.00 ↑ +92%
Christus Health HIX $2,157.68 ↑ +123%
Healthcare Highways PPO $2,234.40 ↑ +131%
Gilsbar, Inc. Alliance PPO $2,234.40 ↑ +131%
Verity HealthNet PPO $2,234.40 ↑ +131%
PPOplus Llc PPO $2,420.60 ↑ +150%
HealthSmart Accel PPO $2,420.60 ↑ +150%
Phcs PPO $2,606.80 ↑ +169%
Multiplan PPO $2,606.80 ↑ +169%
HealthSmart PPO $2,979.20 ↑ +208%
Provider Select PPO $2,979.20 ↑ +208%
Health Management Network PPO $2,979.20 ↑ +208%
United Healthcare All Payer $3,081.00 ↑ +218%
First Health PPO $3,165.40 ↑ +227%
Verity Healthnet National PPO $3,165.40 ↑ +227%
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana PPO $3,851.58 ↑ +298%
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana Trad $3,851.58 ↑ +298%
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana HMO $3,851.58 ↑ +298%
Five Point Credit Union PPO $4,020.00 ↑ +315%
Cigna PPO $5,010.00 ↑ +417%

Visitor-reported prices

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Biopsy muscle percutaneous needle at other Louisiana hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
CHRISTUS Louisiana Surgical Hospital Alexandria not published $360.84 – $3,621.82

All Louisiana hospitals for this procedure →