Surgical pathology level 5 gross & microscopic examination at SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Jefferson City

2505 Mission Drive, Jefferson City, MO · SSM Health · · NPI 1518065523

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Apr 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$315.70

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.

$574.00

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.

$262.13 with UnitedHealthCare vs $646.24 with 6 Degress 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
UnitedHealthCare All Commercial Plans $262.13 ↓ -17%
BCBS Anthem Pathway Exchange $348.03 ↑ +10%
UnitedHealthCare Medicare Managed Care Plan $357.05 ↑ +13%
Centene Wellcare Medicare Managed Care Plan $359.02 ↑ +14%
BCBS Anthem Blue Preferred HMO/POS $363.32 ↑ +15%
BCBS Anthem Medicare Managed Care - HMO/PPO $364.41 ↑ +15%
Humana Medicare Managed Care Plan $365.13 ↑ +16%
Essence Medicare Managed Care Plan $376.98 ↑ +19%
BCBS Anthem Blue Access PPO $387.83 ↑ +23%
Centurion All Commercial Plans $502.63 ↑ +59%
Health Systems All Commercial Plans $610.34 ↑ +93%
6 Degress Health All Commercial Plans $646.24 ↑ +105%

Visitor-reported prices

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Surgical pathology level 5 gross & microscopic examination at other Missouri hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital - Lake Saint Louis Lake Saint Louis $372.90 $220.81 – $583.70
SSM Health DePaul Hospital - St. Louis Bridgeton $372.90 $220.81 – $583.70
SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital Saint Louis $603.90 $253.54 – $430.83
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital- Wentzville Wentzville $372.90 $220.81 – $583.70
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital - St. Charles Saint Charles $372.90 $220.81 – $583.70
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - St. Louis Richmond Heights $372.90 $220.81 – $583.70
Mercy Hospital Aurora Aurora $299.00 $53.00 – $472.24
Mercy Hospital Stoddard Dexter $291.85 $171.31 – $2,303.45

All Missouri hospitals for this procedure →