Smear fluorescent and/or acid fast stain at University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center

1025 Center St, Ashland, OH · University Hospitals · · NPI 1902882939

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jul 14, 2026 · Ingested Aug 13, 2026

$83.25

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.

$111.00

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.

$5.39 with Humana vs $101.01 with SummaCare — 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
Humana Medicare Advantage $5.39 ↓ -94%
Cigna Medicare Advantage $5.39 ↓ -94%
Devoted Health Medicare Advantage $5.39 ↓ -94%
WellCare by AllWell Medicare Advantage $5.39 ↓ -94%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $5.39 ↓ -94%
Anthem Medicare Advantage $5.39 ↓ -94%
The Health Plan Medicare Advantage $5.39 ↓ -94%
SummaCare Medicare Advantage $5.39 ↓ -94%
Primetime Health Plan Medicare Advantage $5.39 ↓ -94%
Molina Medicare Advantage $5.39 ↓ -94%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $5.39 ↓ -94%
Paramount Medicare Advantage $5.55 ↓ -93%
Valor Health Plans Medicare Advantage $5.66 ↓ -93%
Perennial Advantage of Ohio Medicare Advantage $5.66 ↓ -93%
University Health Employee Plan (Contigo) Commercial $7.51 ↓ -91%
Ambetter Commercial $9.70 ↓ -88%
CareSource Marketplace $9.70 ↓ -88%
Medical Mutual of Ohio Northern Ohio Commercial $38.07 ↓ -54%
Buckeye Plain Ministries Fund $51.06 ↓ -39%
Amish Aid Community Plan Fund $51.06 ↓ -39%
Amish Church Fund and Workers Aid Plan Fund $51.06 ↓ -39%
Christian Healthcare Ministries Fund $55.50 ↓ -33%
Sunrise Plain Communities Fund $55.50 ↓ -33%
Immergrun Commercial $55.50 ↓ -33%
Cigna PPO Commercial $61.61 ↓ -26%
Medical Mutual Traditional/Health Ohio Commercial $77.70 ↓ -7%
Medical Mutual of Ohio MedFlex Commercial $88.47 ↑ +6%
Ohio Preferred Network Commercial $88.80 ↑ +7%
Beech Street Commercial $88.80 ↑ +7%
Anthem Pathway Commercial $90.02 ↑ +8%
First Health Commercial $92.13 ↑ +11%
Ohio Health Choice Preferred Health Choice Plus Commercial $94.35 ↑ +13%
Century Health Network Commercial $94.35 ↑ +13%
Aetna Commercial $94.57 ↑ +14%
Aetna OPN Commercial $95.24 ↑ +14%
Private Healthcare System Commercial $95.46 ↑ +15%
Cigna OAP Commercial $96.13 ↑ +15%
The Health Plan Commercial $97.68 ↑ +17%
Medical Mutual of Ohio SuperMed Commercial $98.24 ↑ +18%
JP Farley Commercial $99.90 ↑ +20%
Ohio Health Choice Commercial $99.90 ↑ +20%
HealthSmart Commercial $99.90 ↑ +20%
MultiPlan Commercial $99.90 ↑ +20%
AultCare Commercial $99.90 ↑ +20%
Fortified Provider Network Commercial $99.90 ↑ +20%
Medical Mutual of Ohio NAS Commercial $99.90 ↑ +20%
Anthem Commercial $100.23 ↑ +20%
United Healthcare Commercial $101.01 ↑ +21%
United Healthcare Nexus Commercial $101.01 ↑ +21%
SummaCare Commercial $101.01 ↑ +21%
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Buckeye Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Humana Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Aetna (Ohio Rise) Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
CareSource Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Molina Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

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Smear fluorescent and/or acid fast stain at other Ohio hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Jewish Hospital Cincinnati $44.40 not published
Anderson Hospital Cincinnati $44.40 not published
Clermont Hospital Batavia $44.40 not published
Kings Mills Hospital Mason $44.40 not published
Mercy West Hospital Cincinnati $44.40 not published
St Ritas Medical Center Lima $66.60 not published
Trinity Medical Center East Steubenville $59.52 $2.66 – $71.02
cleveland clinic main campus Cleveland $24.05 $1.10 – $33.30

All Ohio hospitals for this procedure →