Magnesium sulfate 2 gram/50 ml (4 %) in water intravenous piggyback 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

$131.80

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.

$164.75

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.

$0.48 with Geisinger_Medicaid vs $23.36 with WellSpan_Capital_Blue_Cross — 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
Geisinger_Medicaid All_Plans $0.48 ↓ -100%
Highmark_Wholecare_Gateway_Medicaid All_Plans $0.48 ↓ -100%
Health_Partners_Medicaid All_Other_Plans $0.48 ↓ -100%
Aetna_Better_Health_Kids All_Plans $0.51 ↓ -100%
UPMC_Medicaid All_Plans $0.52 ↓ -100%
Amerihealth_Caritas_Medicaid All_Plans $0.96 ↓ -99%
Aetna All_Plans $1.46 ↓ -99%
First_Health_Network All_Plans $1.61 ↓ -99%
United_Healthcare All_Plans $3.20 ↓ -98%
Blue_Cross_BlueJourney_Medicare All_Plans $3.26 ↓ -98%
Cigna All_Plans $3.43 ↓ -97%
Blue_Cross Capital_Cares_4_kids $8.34 ↓ -94%
Blue_Cross Capital_Blue_Performance_PPO $11.91 ↓ -91%
Blue_Cross All_Other_Plans $11.91 ↓ -91%
Tower Health All_Plans $12.03 ↓ -91%
Geisinger All_Plans $12.03 ↓ -91%
UPMC UPMC_For_Kids $12.03 ↓ -91%
UPMC Employees_And_Dependents $12.03 ↓ -91%
Independence_Blue_Cross All_Plans $12.03 ↓ -91%
PHC All_Plans $12.95 ↓ -90%
WellSpan_Capital_Blue_Cross All_Plans $23.36 ↓ -82%

Visitor-reported prices

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Magnesium sulfate 2 gram/50 ml (4 %) in water intravenous piggyback at other Pennsylvania hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
UPMC Altoona Altoona $268.20 $0.30 – $3.20
UPMC Bedford Everett $21.60 $0.30 – $5.40
UPMC Cole Coudersport $19.80 $0.48 – $7.20
UPMC East Monroeville $20.40 $0.30 – $3.20
UPMC Hamot Erie $273.00 $0.30 – $1.88
UPMC Northwest Seneca $239.40 $0.30 – $1.50
UPMC Horizon-Greenville Greenville $192.60 $0.30 – $1.47
UPMC Jameson New Castle $88.20 $0.30 – $0.59

All Pennsylvania hospitals for this procedure →