Plmt biliary drainage 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

$7,748.95

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.

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What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$14,089.00

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.

$501.33 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 $501.33 ↓ -94%
BCBS Anthem Blue Access Choice All Commercial Plans $512.03 ↓ -93%
BCBS Anthem Blue Preferred HMO/POS $512.03 ↓ -93%
BCBS Anthem Blue Access PPO $551.92 ↓ -93%
Aetna Carelink All Commercial Plans $1,642.00 ↓ -79%
Aetna All Commercial Plans $2,535.00 ↓ -67%
Healthlink HMO $3,085.00 ↓ -60%
Centene Ambetter Exchange $3,148.00 ↓ -59%
BCBS Anthem Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,514.46 ↓ -55%
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,586.18 ↓ -54%
Centene Wellcare Medicare Managed Care - PPO $3,622.04 ↓ -53%
Humana Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,647.15 ↓ -53%
Aetna Advantra Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,657.90 ↓ -53%
Essence Medicare Managed Care Plan $3,693.77 ↓ -52%
UnitedHealthCare Employee $3,764.00 ↓ -51%
Oscar Exchange $4,303.42 ↓ -44%
Cigna All Commercial Plans $4,353.00 ↓ -44%
UnitedHealthCare Non-PPO Other Commercial Plan $4,508.00 ↓ -42%
Healthlink PPO $4,616.00 ↓ -40%
UnitedHealthCare Options PPO $5,698.00 ↓ -26%

Visitor-reported prices

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Plmt biliary drainage cath at other Missouri hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital Saint Louis $9,331.46 $426.49 – $11,867.00
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital - Lake Saint Louis Lake Saint Louis $10,706.30 $436.61 – $8,775.00
SSM Health DePaul Hospital - St. Louis Bridgeton $10,706.30 $436.61 – $8,775.00
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital- Wentzville Wentzville $10,706.30 $436.61 – $8,775.00
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital - St. Charles Saint Charles $10,706.30 $436.61 – $8,775.00
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - St. Louis Richmond Heights $10,706.30 $436.61 – $8,775.00
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Jefferson City Jefferson City $13,520.76 $2,277.00 – $6,455.13
Mercy Hospital Southeast Cape Girardeau $8,075.90 $304.55 – $23,008.51

All Missouri hospitals for this procedure →