Knee MRI (with contrast) 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

$743.34

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.

$2,859.00

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.

$343.08 with United Healthcare vs $2,430.15 with First Health — 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 $343.08 ↓ -54%
Healthy Blue Louisiana KM $343.08 ↓ -54%
Humana Healthy Horizons KM $343.08 ↓ -54%
Louisiana Healthcare Connections KM $343.08 ↓ -54%
Amerihealth Caritas Louisiana KM $343.08 ↓ -54%
Aetna KM $371.67 ↓ -50%
Triwest VA MM $736.49 ↓ -1%
Humana Gold Plus MM $736.49 ↓ -1%
Humana Gold Choice MM $736.49 ↓ -1%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana MM $751.52 ↑ +1%
Active Med PPO $751.52 ↑ +1%
Vantage Health Plan Inc. Gold Plus MM $751.52 ↑ +1%
United Healthcare VA CCN MM $751.52 ↑ +1%
Aetna MM $751.52 ↑ +1%
Coventry First Health MM $751.52 ↑ +1%
Christus Health Med Adv MM $751.52 ↑ +1%
Arcadian Health Plan MM $751.52 ↑ +1%
United Healthcare MM $766.55 ↑ +3%
Dignity Health MM $774.07 ↑ +4%
Peoples Health MM $774.07 ↑ +4%
Wellcare MM $789.10 ↑ +6%
American Health Medicare Advantage MM $826.67 ↑ +11%
AllyAlign Health MM $826.67 ↑ +11%
Aetna New Business $862.00 ↑ +16%
Aetna PPO $1,014.00 ↑ +36%
Christus Health HIX $1,052.13 ↑ +42%
Humana Choicecare $1,341.00 ↑ +80%
LSU First Choice Verity PPO $1,429.50 ↑ +92%
Vantage Health Plan Inc. PPO $1,429.50 ↑ +92%
Cigna PPO $1,547.00 ↑ +108%
United Healthcare All Payer $1,609.16 ↑ +116%
Healthcare Highways PPO $1,715.40 ↑ +131%
Verity HealthNet PPO $1,715.40 ↑ +131%
Gilsbar, Inc. Alliance PPO $1,715.40 ↑ +131%
HealthSmart Accel PPO $1,858.35 ↑ +150%
PPOplus Llc PPO $1,858.35 ↑ +150%
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana Trad $1,988.02 ↑ +167%
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana PPO $1,988.02 ↑ +167%
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana HMO $1,988.02 ↑ +167%
Multiplan PPO $2,001.30 ↑ +169%
Phcs PPO $2,001.30 ↑ +169%
Five Point Credit Union PPO $2,251.00 ↑ +203%
Provider Select PPO $2,287.20 ↑ +208%
HealthSmart PPO $2,287.20 ↑ +208%
Health Management Network PPO $2,287.20 ↑ +208%
Verity Healthnet National PPO $2,430.15 ↑ +227%
First Health PPO $2,430.15 ↑ +227%

Visitor-reported prices

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Knee MRI (with contrast) at other Louisiana hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
CHRISTUS Ochsner Lake Area Hospital Lake Charles not published $703.74 – $2,251.00

All Louisiana hospitals for this procedure →