Injection radioactive tracer sentinel node (both sides) 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

$507.50

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.

$1,015.00

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.

$140.36 with Bcbs vs $4,862.00 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 Employee $140.36 ↓ -72%
Bcbs State Other Commercial Plan $187.15 ↓ -63%
Bcbs Blueessentials Exchange $190.50 ↓ -62%
Bcbs Bluechoice Exchange $190.50 ↓ -62%
Bcbs Preferred Blue Ppo $327.00 ↓ -36%
Bcbs Bluechoice Hmo $359.21 ↓ -29%
Bcbs Lowcountry Blue Exchange $363.32 ↓ -28%
Bcbs Medicare Managed Care Plan $386.42 ↓ -24%
Humana Medicare Managed Care - Ppo $392.37 ↓ -23%
Clover Health Medicare Managed Care Plan $394.15 ↓ -22%
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $396.25 ↓ -22%
Absolute Total Care Ambetter Exchange $415.41 ↓ -18%
Molina Exchange $425.07 ↓ -16%
Unitedhealthcare All Commercial Plans $2,261.00 ↑ +346%
Cigna All Commercial Plans $4,604.00 ↑ +807%
Aetna All Commercial Plans $4,862.00 ↑ +858%

Visitor-reported prices

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Injection radioactive tracer sentinel node (both sides) at other South-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MUSC Health Florence Medical Center Florence $526.50 $140.36 – $2,118.00
MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center Camden $641.00 $106.72 – $425.07
MUSC Health Orangeburg Medical Center Orangeburg $302.50 $371.82 – $409.00
MUSC Health Main Campus - Charleston Charleston $302.50 $106.04 – $409.00
MUSC Health Black River Medical Center Cades $182.00 $133.26 – $2,017.00
MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster $316.50 $140.36 – $1,544.00
HCA HEALTHCARE BRIGHTON PARK ER MONCKS CORNER not published $38.14 – $544.40
LIVE OAK MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS Ladson not published $38.14 – $544.40

All South-carolina hospitals for this procedure →