Esophagoscopy retro balloon at University Hospitals Lake West Medical Center

36000 Euclid Avenue, Willoughby OH 44094|7590 Auburn Road, OH · University Hospitals · · NPI 1972689172

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

$2,101.50

Cash price

?

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.

$2,802.00

Gross charge

?

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.

$900.00 with SummaCare vs $5,511.57 with United Healthcare — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

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
?

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
?

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
SummaCare Commercial $900.00 ↓ -57%
University Health Employee Plan (Contigo) Commercial $1,120.80 ↓ -47%
Amish Aid Community Plan Fund $1,288.92 ↓ -39%
Buckeye Plain Ministries Fund $1,288.92 ↓ -39%
Amish Church Fund and Workers Aid Plan Fund $1,288.92 ↓ -39%
Christian Healthcare Ministries Fund $1,401.00 ↓ -33%
Sunrise Plan Communities Fund $1,401.00 ↓ -33%
Immergrun Commercial $1,401.00 ↓ -33%
AultCare Commercial $1,541.10 ↓ -27%
WellCare by AllWell Medicare Advantage $1,815.43 ↓ -14%
Aetna Medicare Advantage $1,815.43 ↓ -14%
Anthem Medicare Advantage $1,815.43 ↓ -14%
Cigna Medicare Advantage $1,815.43 ↓ -14%
Devoted Health Medicare Advantage $1,815.43 ↓ -14%
Humana Medicare Advantage $1,815.43 ↓ -14%
Medical Mutual of Ohio Medicare Advantage $1,815.43 ↓ -14%
Molina Medicare Advantage $1,815.43 ↓ -14%
Primetime Health Plan Medicare Advantage $1,815.43 ↓ -14%
SummaCare Medicare Advantage $1,815.43 ↓ -14%
The Health Plan Medicare Advantage $1,815.43 ↓ -14%
United Healthcare Medicare Advantage $1,815.43 ↓ -14%
HealthSmart Commercial $1,821.30 ↓ -13%
Ohio Health Choice Preferred Health Choice Plus Commercial $1,821.30 ↓ -13%
Paramount Medicare Advantage $1,869.90 ↓ -11%
Perennial Advantage of Ohio Medicare Advantage $1,906.21 ↓ -9%
Valor Health Plans Medicare Advantage $1,906.21 ↓ -9%
Beech Street Commercial $2,241.60 ↑ +7%
Ohio Preferred Network Commercial $2,241.60 ↑ +7%
First Health Commercial $2,325.66 ↑ +11%
Century Health Network Commercial $2,381.70 ↑ +13%
Private Healthcare System Commercial $2,409.72 ↑ +15%
Aetna Commercial $2,441.00 ↑ +16%
Fortified Provider Network Commercial $2,521.80 ↑ +20%
MultiPlan Commercial $2,521.80 ↑ +20%
Ohio Health Choice Commercial $2,521.80 ↑ +20%
Ambetter Commercial $3,267.78 ↑ +55%
CareSource Marketplace $3,267.78 ↑ +55%
Anthem Pathway HMO Commercial $3,464.14 ↑ +65%
Anthem Pathway PPO Commercial $3,861.53 ↑ +84%
Medical Mutual of Ohio MedFlex Commercial $4,221.18 ↑ +101%
Anthem Blue Access Commercial $4,329.91 ↑ +106%
Cigna Commercial $4,589.40 ↑ +118%
Medical Mutual of Ohio ACA Northern Ohio Commercial $4,640.87 ↑ +121%
Medical Mutual of Ohio SuperMed Commercial $4,690.20 ↑ +123%
Medical Mutual Traditional Commercial $4,736.09 ↑ +125%
Anthem Traditional Commercial $4,949.26 ↑ +136%
United Healthcare Commercial $5,511.57 ↑ +162%
Humana Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
United Healthcare Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Aetna (Ohio Rise) Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Molina Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Amerihealth Caritas Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
Buckeye Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —
CareSource Managed Medicaid not published by hospital —

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Esophagoscopy retro balloon at other Ohio hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
cleveland clinic main campus Cleveland $5,671.90 $1.10 – $7,853.40
University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center Beachwood $2,101.50 $619.24 – $3,267.78
University Hospitals Beachwood Medical Center Beachwood $2,101.50 $900.00 – $4,597.98
University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center Elyria $2,101.50 $1,815.43 – $3,267.78
University Hospitals Regional Hospitals - Geauga Medical Center Chardon $2,101.50 $1,815.43 – $3,267.78
University Hospitals Parma Medical Center Parma OH 44129|7007 Powers Boulevard $2,101.50 $1,815.43 – $3,267.78
University Hospitals Portage Medical Center Ravenna OH 44266 $2,101.50 $1,960.47 – $3,528.85
University Hospitals St. John Medical Center Westlake OH $2,101.50 $1,960.47 – $3,528.85

All Ohio hospitals for this procedure →