Abdominal paracentesis w/image guidance at WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital

169 Martin Ave, Ephrata, PA · Wellspan · · NPI 1083615587

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jan 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 17, 2026

$1,588.80

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.

$1,986.00

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.

$105.41 with Health_Partners_Medicaid vs $9,629.00 with First_Health_Network — 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
Health_Partners_Medicaid All_Other_Plans $105.41 ↓ -93%
Highmark_Wholecare_Gateway_Medicaid All_Plans $105.41 ↓ -93%
UPMC_Medicaid All_Plans $105.41 ↓ -93%
PA_Health_&_Wellness_Medicaid All_Plans $105.41 ↓ -93%
Geisinger_Medicaid All_Plans $105.41 ↓ -93%
Amerihealth_Caritas_Medicaid All_Plans $119.75 ↓ -92%
Aetna_Better_Health_Kids All_Plans $286.72 ↓ -82%
Blue_Cross_BlueJourney_Medicare All_Plans $349.54 ↓ -78%
Blue_Cross Capital_Cares_4_kids $895.01 ↓ -44%
Highmark_Medicare All_Plans $914.56 ↓ -42%
Aetna_Advantra_Medicare All_Plans $932.67 ↓ -41%
Aetna_Medicare All_Plans $932.67 ↓ -41%
UPMC_Medicare UPMC_for_Life_Complete_Care $950.78 ↓ -40%
Geisinger_Gold_Medicare All_Plans $950.78 ↓ -40%
UPMC_Medicare UPMC_for_Life_Community_HealthChoices $950.78 ↓ -40%
United_Medicare ISNP_DSNP_Plans $950.78 ↓ -40%
Devoted_Medicare All_Plans $950.78 ↓ -40%
Highmark_Wholecare_Gateway_Medicare All_Plans $954.85 ↓ -40%
Amerihealth_Medicare All_Plans $955.30 ↓ -40%
PA_Health_&_Wellness_Medicare All_Plans $977.94 ↓ -38%
Jefferson_Health_Medicare_Advantage All_Plans $977.94 ↓ -38%
Cigna All_Plans $1,209.08 ↓ -24%
WellSpan_Capital_Blue_Cross All_Plans $1,271.04 ↓ -20%
Blue_Cross Capital_Blue_Performance_PPO $1,278.59 ↓ -20%
Blue_Cross All_Other_Plans $1,278.59 ↓ -20%
Tower Health All_Plans $1,290.90 ↓ -19%
UPMC Employees_And_Dependents $1,290.90 ↓ -19%
UPMC UPMC_For_Kids $1,290.90 ↓ -19%
Geisinger All_Plans $1,290.90 ↓ -19%
Independence_Blue_Cross All_Plans $1,290.90 ↓ -19%
PHC All_Plans $1,390.20 ↓ -13%
Highmark Higmark_Healthy_Kids $1,405.79 ↓ -12%
Health_Partners_Medicaid Kidz_Partners $1,494.08 ↓ -6%
United_Medicaid Community_Plan_For_Kids $1,584.63 ↓ -0%
United_Healthcare All_Plans $1,872.80 ↑ +18%
Highmark My_Priority_Blue_Flex $3,321.92 ↑ +109%
Highmark My_Direct_Blue $3,321.92 ↑ +109%
Highmark Choice_Blue_PPO $3,446.42 ↑ +117%
Highmark Performance_Blue $3,446.42 ↑ +117%
Highmark Blue_Cross_High_Performance_Network $3,446.42 ↑ +117%
Highmark All_Other_Plans $4,152.35 ↑ +161%
Aetna All_Plans $8,754.00 ↑ +451%
First_Health_Network All_Plans $9,629.00 ↑ +506%

Visitor-reported prices

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Abdominal paracentesis w/image guidance at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Altoona Altoona $2,179.80 $84.33 – $2,906.40
UPMC Bedford Everett $2,008.20 $88.55 – $3,012.30
UPMC Carlisle Carlisle $1,225.20 $107.10 – $1,735.70
UPMC Cole Coudersport $1,693.20 $57.93 – $1,041.88
UPMC Community Osteopathic Harrisburg $1,225.20 $113.85 – $3,102.01
UPMC East Monroeville $2,540.40 $92.76 – $3,387.20
UPMC Hamot Erie $2,052.60 $92.76 – $1,300.05
UPMC Northwest Seneca $1,898.40 $92.76 – $938.54

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →