Colonoscopy (with polyp removal) at SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - St. Louis

6420 Clayton Rd, Richmond Heights, MO · SSM Health · · NPI 1780763284

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

$1,390.95

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.

$2,529.00

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.

$325.68 with BCBS vs $3,213.00 with Aetna — 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
BCBS Anthem Pathway Exchange $325.68 ↓ -77%
BCBS Anthem Blue Access Choice PPO $334.66 ↓ -76%
BCBS Anthem Blue Preferred HMO/POS $336.25 ↓ -76%
BCBS Anthem Blue Access PPO $362.66 ↓ -74%
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $1,198.57 ↓ -14%
Aetna Gold Advantage Medicare Managed Care Plan $1,210.56 ↓ -13%
UnitedHealthCare Medicare Managed Care Plan $1,216.31 ↓ -13%
BCBS Anthem Medicare Managed Care Plan $1,216.55 ↓ -13%
Humana Medicare Managed Care Plan $1,218.95 ↓ -12%
Oscar Exchange $1,438.29 ↑ +3%
Ambetter Exchange $1,568.00 ↑ +13%
Healthlink Employers Choice All Commercial Plans $1,628.00 ↑ +17%
Aetna Carelink Other Commercial Plan $1,944.00 ↑ +40%
UnitedHealthCare All Commercial Plans $2,363.00 ↑ +70%
UnitedHealthCare St. Louis University Employee $2,371.00 ↑ +70%
Cigna OAP Other Commercial Plan $2,680.00 ↑ +93%
Healthlink HMO $2,709.00 ↑ +95%
UnitedHealthCare Options PPO $2,783.00 ↑ +100%
Aetna NBD Other Commercial Plan $2,835.00 ↑ +104%
Aetna All Commercial Plans $3,213.00 ↑ +131%

Visitor-reported prices

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Colonoscopy (with polyp removal) at other Missouri hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital - Lake Saint Louis Lake Saint Louis $1,390.95 $325.68 – $2,680.00
SSM Health DePaul Hospital - St. Louis Bridgeton $1,390.95 $325.68 – $2,680.00
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital- Wentzville Wentzville $1,390.95 $325.68 – $2,680.00
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital - St. Charles Saint Charles $1,390.95 $325.68 – $2,680.00
Mercy Hospital Aurora Aurora $3,303.10 $250.00 – $1,235.73
Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy $4,881.70 $1,005.15 – $1,005.15
Mercy Hospital Carthage Carthage $2,693.62 $257.13 – $2,445.12
Mercy Hospital Southeast Cape Girardeau $7,286.51 $210.99 – $7,689.88

All Missouri hospitals for this procedure →