Augumentation percutaneous vertebral including cavity creation 1 vertebral body thoracic at MUSC Health Black River Medical Center

3555 Williamsburg County Highway, Cades, SC · Muschealth · · NPI 1841914298

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

$10,222.00

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.

$20,444.00

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.

$6,748.84 with Aetna vs $31,323.83 with Bcbs — 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
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $6,748.84 ↓ -34%
Clover Health Medicare Managed Care Plan $6,883.82 ↓ -33%
Absolute Total Care Ambetter Exchange $7,255.01 ↓ -29%
Molina Exchange $7,423.73 ↓ -27%
Bcbs Lowcountry Blue Exchange $10,925.85 ↑ +7%
Bcbs Bluechoice/Blueoptions Exchange $11,556.99 ↑ +13%
Bcbs Blueessentials Exchange $11,556.99 ↑ +13%
Unitedhealthcare All Commercial Plans $11,904.00 ↑ +16%
Bcbs Employee $12,298.91 ↑ +20%
Bcbs State Other Commercial Plan $16,398.54 ↑ +60%
Bcbs Preferred Blue Ppo $28,515.08 ↑ +179%
Bcbs Bluechoice Hmo $31,323.83 ↑ +206%

Visitor-reported prices

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Augumentation percutaneous vertebral including cavity creation 1 vertebral body thoracic at other South-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MUSC Health Florence Medical Center Florence $24,991.50 $6,748.84 – $12,500.00
St Francis Downtown Greenville $39,813.17 $12,297.49 – $12,420.46
MUSC Health Chester Medical Center Chester $10,072.50 $7,013.95 – $20,575.00
MUSC Health Orangeburg Medical Center Orangeburg $13,877.00 $6,748.84 – $7,423.73
MUSC Health Main Campus - Charleston Charleston $13,877.00 $6,748.84 – $8,954.74
MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster $11,564.00 $7,051.31 – $21,847.00
HCA HEALTHCARE BRIGHTON PARK ER MONCKS CORNER not published $501.47 – $17,808.81
LIVE OAK MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS Ladson not published $501.47 – $17,808.81

All South-carolina hospitals for this procedure →