Thoracentesis pleural space needle/catheter aspiration with imaging guidance (both sides) at St Francis Downtown

1 St. Francis Dr., Greenville, SC · Bonsecours · · NPI 1730123175

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Apr 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 16, 2026

$4,109.76

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.

$6,849.60

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.

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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$600.86 with HUMANA MEDICARE [1010] vs $606.87 with AETNA MEDICARE [1003] — 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
HUMANA MEDICARE [1010] HUMANA GOLD PLUS HMO [101001] $600.86 ↓ -85%
UHC MEDICARE [1011] UHC MEDICARE COMPLETE [44] $600.86 ↓ -85%
UHC MEDICARE [1011] UNITEDHEALTHCARE DUAL COMPLETE [1011009] $600.86 ↓ -85%
HUMANA MEDICARE [1010] HUMANA CHOICE-PPO MEDICARE [101003] $600.86 ↓ -85%
UHC MEDICARE [1011] UHC AARP MEDICARE ADVANTAGE [1011017] $600.86 ↓ -85%
AETNA MEDICARE [1003] AETNA MEDICARE-ADVANTAGE PPO [103002] $606.87 ↓ -85%
AETNA MEDICARE [1003] AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE HMO [103003] $606.87 ↓ -85%

Visitor-reported prices

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Thoracentesis pleural space needle/catheter aspiration with imaging guidance (both sides) at other South-carolina hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
St Francis Eastside Greenville $1,404.00 not published
MUSC Health Florence Medical Center Florence $2,645.50 $583.44 – $3,708.00
MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center Camden $1,241.50 $574.59 – $2,136.00
MUSC Health Chester Medical Center Chester $970.00 $606.36 – $4,604.00
MUSC Health Orangeburg Medical Center Orangeburg $1,568.50 $583.44 – $641.78
MUSC Health Main Campus - Charleston Charleston $1,568.50 $570.92 – $641.78
MUSC Health Black River Medical Center Cades $1,134.50 $583.44 – $3,532.00
MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster $3,359.50 $609.59 – $2,869.00

All South-carolina hospitals for this procedure →