X-ray surgical specimen at MUSC Health Florence Medical Center

805 Pamplico Hwy Box 100550, Florence, SC · Muschealth · · NPI 1184197683

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

$496.00

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.

Full explanation →

What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$992.00

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.

$260.67 with Bcbs vs $667.79 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
Bcbs Employee $260.67 ↓ -47%
Bcbs State Other Commercial Plan $347.56 ↓ -30%
Bcbs Bluechoice/Blueoptions Exchange $447.25 ↓ -10%
Bcbs Blueessentials Exchange $447.25 ↓ -10%
Bcbs Medicare Managed Care Plan $508.21 ↑ +2%
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $518.37 ↑ +5%
Absolute Total Care Ambetter Exchange $546.32 ↑ +10%
Bcbs Preferred Blue Ppo $558.68 ↑ +13%
Molina Exchange $559.03 ↑ +13%
Bcbs Lowcountry Blue Exchange $564.75 ↑ +14%
Bcbs Bluechoice Hmo $667.79 ↑ +35%

Visitor-reported prices

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X-ray surgical specimen at other South-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
HCA HEALTHCARE BRIGHTON PARK ER MONCKS CORNER $691.00 $27.35 – $959.52
LIVE OAK MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS Ladson $691.00 $27.35 – $959.52
MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center Camden $496.00 $87.49 – $580.99
St Francis Eastside Greenville $826.80 not published
MUSC Health Chester Medical Center Chester $496.00 $87.49 – $580.99
MUSC Health Orangeburg Medical Center Orangeburg $496.50 $508.21 – $559.03
MUSC Health Main Campus - Charleston Charleston $496.50 $196.94 – $559.03
MUSC Health Black River Medical Center Cades $496.00 $247.49 – $559.03

All South-carolina hospitals for this procedure →