Tissue culture skin/biopsy 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

$412.50

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.

$825.00

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.

$80.64 with Unitedhealthcare vs $473.42 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
Unitedhealthcare All Commercial Plans $80.64 ↓ -80%
Aetna All Commercial Plans $140.73 ↓ -66%
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $140.73 ↓ -66%
Clover Health Medicare Managed Care Plan $143.54 ↓ -65%
Absolute Total Care Ambetter Exchange $151.28 ↓ -63%
Molina Exchange $154.80 ↓ -62%
Bcbs Lowcountry Blue Exchange $170.09 ↓ -59%
Bcbs Bluechoice/Blueoptions Exchange $174.67 ↓ -58%
Bcbs Blueessentials Exchange $174.67 ↓ -58%
Bcbs Employee $181.01 ↓ -56%
Bcbs State Other Commercial Plan $241.34 ↓ -41%
Bcbs Preferred Blue Ppo $430.97 ↑ +4%
Bcbs Bluechoice Hmo $473.42 ↑ +15%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
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Tissue culture skin/biopsy at other South-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
HCA HEALTHCARE BRIGHTON PARK ER MONCKS CORNER $1,791.00 $120.12 – $295.53
LIVE OAK MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS Ladson $1,791.00 $120.12 – $295.53
MUSC Health Florence Medical Center Florence $458.50 $80.64 – $154.80
MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center Camden $616.50 $136.21 – $154.80
St Francis Downtown Greenville $647.40 not published
St Francis Eastside Greenville $647.40 not published
MUSC Health Chester Medical Center Chester $532.50 $80.51 – $154.80
MUSC Health Orangeburg Medical Center Orangeburg $509.50 $140.73 – $154.80

All South-carolina hospitals for this procedure →