Sputum specimen collection at Southern Ocean Medical Center

1140 Route 72 West, Manahawkin, NJ · Hackensack Meridian Health · · NPI 1831601590

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Dec 31, 2025 · Ingested Sep 4, 2026

$187.28

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.

$223.00

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.

$35.95 with KARNA vs $655.00 with UNITED HEALTHCARE — 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
KARNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $35.95 ↓ -81%
CLOVER MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $40.14 ↓ -79%
AETNA MANAGED MEDICAID $41.26 ↓ -78%
SEOUL MEDICAL GROUP ALL PRODUCTS $45.72 ↓ -76%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MANAGED MEDICAID $131.35 ↓ -30%
HORIZON MANAGED MEDICAID $141.34 ↓ -25%
HORIZON PIP $145.17 ↓ -22%
HORIZON WORKERS COMP $149.83 ↓ -20%
HORIZON OMNIA $161.03 ↓ -14%
BERGEN RISK ALL PRODUCTS $167.25 ↓ -11%
AETNA ASA $174.61 ↓ -7%
CIGNA BH $178.40 ↓ -5%
WELLCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $187.28 ↑ +0%
WELLCARE MANAGED MEDICAID $187.28 ↑ +0%
HORIZON BCBS BRAVEN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $187.28 ↑ +0%
VACCN ALL PRODUCTS $187.28 ↑ +0%
MULTIPLAN - PHCS ALL PRODUCTS $189.55 ↑ +1%
AETNA PPO $190.00 ↑ +1%
AETNA HMO $190.00 ↑ +1%
HORIZON SHP $191.42 ↑ +2%
AMERIHEALTH LOCAL HMO $193.65 ↑ +3%
UNITED COMMUNITY/AMERICHOICE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $196.64 ↑ +5%
HORIZON INDEMNITY $198.47 ↑ +6%
HORIZON HMO $198.60 ↑ +6%
BRIGHTON HEALTH PLAN ALL PRODUCTS $200.70 ↑ +7%
QUALCARE WORKERS COMP $202.48 ↑ +8%
QUALCARE PPO $202.48 ↑ +8%
QUALCARE HMO $202.48 ↑ +8%
HORIZON PPO $203.87 ↑ +9%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $204.13 ↑ +9%
CIGNA HMO $213.25 ↑ +14%
CIGNA PPO $213.25 ↑ +14%
AMERIHEALTH REGIONAL HMO $219.34 ↑ +17%
UNITED HEALTHCARE DSNP $224.73 ↑ +20%
OXFORD ALL PRODUCTS $525.00 ↑ +180%
UNITED HEALTHCARE HMO $655.00 ↑ +250%
AMERIGROUP MANAGED MEDICAID not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Sputum specimen collection at other New-jersey hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center Livingston $74.80 $9.67 – $384.50
Clara Maass Medical Center Belleville $103.82 $9.65 – $382.58
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Newark $73.52 $9.67 – $384.50
Bayshore Medical Center Holmdel $189.67 $189.67 – $770.00
Hackensack University Medical Center Hackensack $201.80 $23.30 – $794.00
Ocean University Medical Center Brick $187.28 $8.80 – $317.00
JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute (JRI) Edison $189.84 $8.80 – $317.00
Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune City $189.67 $35.95 – $604.00

All New-jersey hospitals for this procedure →