Conversion ext bil drg cath at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital

1201 S Grand Blvd, Saint Louis, MO · SSM Health · · NPI 1942685920

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

$3,168.00

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.

$5,760.00

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.

$288.42 with BCBS vs $5,698.00 with UnitedHealthCare — 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 $288.42 ↓ -91%
BCBS Anthem Blue Access Choice All Commercial Plans $294.58 ↓ -91%
BCBS Anthem Blue Preferred HMO/POS $294.58 ↓ -91%
BCBS Anthem Blue Access PPO $317.52 ↓ -90%
Aetna Carelink All Commercial Plans $1,642.00 ↓ -48%
Aetna All Commercial Plans $2,535.00 ↓ -20%
Healthlink HMO $3,085.00 ↓ -3%
Centene Ambetter Exchange $3,148.00 ↓ -1%
BCBS Anthem Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,514.46 ↑ +11%
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,586.18 ↑ +13%
Centene Wellcare Medicare Managed Care - PPO $3,622.04 ↑ +14%
Humana Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,647.15 ↑ +15%
Aetna Advantra Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,657.90 ↑ +15%
Essence Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,693.77 ↑ +17%
UnitedHealthCare Employee $3,764.00 ↑ +19%
Oscar Exchange $4,303.42 ↑ +36%
Cigna All Commercial Plans $4,353.00 ↑ +37%
UnitedHealthCare Non-PPO Other Commercial Plan $4,508.00 ↑ +42%
Healthlink PPO $4,616.00 ↑ +46%
UnitedHealthCare Options PPO $5,698.00 ↑ +80%

Visitor-reported prices

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Conversion ext bil drg cath at other Missouri hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital Saint Louis $3,251.10 $245.36 – $11,867.00
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital - Lake Saint Louis Lake Saint Louis $3,371.50 $251.19 – $8,775.00
SSM Health DePaul Hospital - St. Louis Bridgeton $3,371.50 $251.19 – $8,775.00
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital- Wentzville Wentzville $3,371.50 $251.19 – $8,775.00
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital - St. Charles Saint Charles $3,371.50 $251.19 – $8,775.00
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - St. Louis Richmond Heights $3,371.50 $251.19 – $8,775.00
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Jefferson City Jefferson City $3,118.80 $2,277.00 – $6,455.13
Mercy Orthopedic Hospital Springfield Ozark $5,700.50 not published

All Missouri hospitals for this procedure →