Apheresis platelets at MUSC Health Chester Medical Center

1 Medical Park Drive, Chester, SC · Muschealth · · NPI 1558937474

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

not published by hospital

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.

not published by hospital

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.

$426.44 with Bcbs vs $5,192.00 with Aetna — 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
Bcbs Medicare Managed Care Plan $426.44
Humana Medicare Managed Care - Ppo $433.00
Clover Health Medicare Managed Care Plan $434.97
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $437.29
Absolute Total Care Ambetter Exchange $458.43
Molina Exchange $469.09
Bcbs Lowcountry Blue Exchange $1,675.18
Bcbs Employee $1,690.65
Bcbs Blueessentials Exchange $2,211.23
Bcbs Bluechoice Exchange $2,211.23
Bcbs State Other Commercial Plan $2,254.20
Unitedhealthcare All Commercial Plans $2,261.00
Bcbs Preferred Blue Ppo $3,795.72
Bcbs Bluechoice Hmo $4,169.59
Aetna All Commercial Plans $5,192.00

Visitor-reported prices

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Apheresis platelets at other South-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MUSC Health Florence Medical Center Florence $3,853.50 $410.33 – $2,118.00
MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center Camden $1,868.00 $368.00 – $469.09
MUSC Health Orangeburg Medical Center Orangeburg $3,550.50 $410.33 – $451.36
MUSC Health Main Campus - Charleston Charleston $3,550.50 $410.33 – $1,230.85
MUSC Health Black River Medical Center Cades $2,567.50 $410.33 – $2,017.00
HCA HEALTHCARE BRIGHTON PARK ER MONCKS CORNER not published $94.66 – $2,448.06
LIVE OAK MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS Ladson not published $94.66 – $2,448.06
MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster not published $428.72 – $1,544.00

All South-carolina hospitals for this procedure →